You've Got To Be Kidding Me
by lea.vergino
Summary: Working as a marine chore girl with the shackles of the revolutionary is just too much for poor little me… Oh. Wait. Did I say revolutionary? Uhmm… could we skip that detail for a moment? It's just the first chapter... OC/Marco
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: **_(My gosh, so nervous/happy to use those letters)

Okay, so first of all… uhhmmm… Sorry, haha.. Don't really know what to say yet in an Author's Note…

With that said, let's get this over with… Onto the story!

_**CHAPTER 1**_

"…_**I can't possibly change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination…"**_** - Jimmy Dean**

*Yawn*

I looked up at the clear sky on a hot sunny day as my arms flailed lifelessly on my sides.

"Ugh… So hot… ugh…" I glared at the sun before me, as it enjoyed throwing those annoying rays back at me.

"Tch, this is ridiculous. Why _on earth_ am I here again?" I asked to no one in particular. I waited. No response. Easily giving up on the nonsensical skit I made, I just yawned again, wiggled a bit on my seat and continued… doing nothing. Then I sighed.

With no other things to do, I just looked up at the sky again, shoved all thoughts aside and relaxed. I at least felt comfortable and at peace until…

*poke*

I glared…

*poke*poke*

…and glared…

*poke*poke*poke*

…and _glared_.

Then silence…

…

…

…

* . . . . . .poke * _What the-_

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT?!" My head instantly snapped at the boy who was idly sitting beside me for some time. "What the hell do you want?" I snarled at him.

Satisfied that he finally got my attention, he then innocently looked back at me with those cute, puppy eyes of his, as if he didn't do anything wrong… Well, he _didn't_ do anything wrong because poking someone isn't some heinous crime or something… But that's not the fucking point!

"But _nee-chan_, if you keep staring at the sun like that, your eyes will burn! And that will be very bad!" He stated in a-matter-of-fact tone, executed in a kiddy version.

"Oh, _please_ don't worry about my eyes. They're invisibly armored with steel so they wouldn't melt that easily." I answered blandly, thinking that this would stop his pestering… but NO.

"REALLY?! That's amazing _nee-chan! _Can they shoot beams too? Like robots?" He asked excitedly to me, slightly jumping up in the process. I grimaced._ Kids_.

_Ugh, why do I have to babysit these brats on my day off?_ I looked around. Kids were playing on a small playground built just a few blocks away from Dock One here in Water Seven. Some were building sand castles, some were playing house, some were on the swings and the slides, and some were just stupidly runnin' in circles. And again, I grimaced.

Well, that's because I'm not really a baby sitter… Hell, I don't actually live here. Captain Smoker just had some business to deal with in here, which I, a lowly chore girl, had nothing to do with. And it's not like I want to, as I also want a freaking rest, which I had an opportunity to do so as I was given the week off. But that… that…that WITCH just had to pull me AGAIN into taking care of her _mess_. And when I said _mess_, I meant those cute, little, wobbly things most commonly known as _children._

It had been five days since we docked here, and believe me, I was really glad to having met up with a childhood friend of mine. But entrusting me with these little devils each single day of my stay in the island is just plain torture! Not to say that I was supposed to rest! Sheesh… Working as a _marine_ chore girl with the shackles of the _revolutionary_ is just too much for poor little me… Oh. Wait. Did I say _revolutionary_? Uhmm… could we skip that detail for a moment? It's just the first chapter.

"_Nee-chan_? _Nee-chan_! You're not listening!" My thoughts were cut off by the forgotten kid beside me. "Come on _nee-chan_, we rarely see you because you travel so much, but when we do, all you do is space out!" He frowned. I quirked a brow at him and paused for a moment… then sighed… for the nth time that day…

"Alright, alright… Geez, you don't hafta be so pushy ya'know…" I waved him off as I casually stood up from my seat. "Hey kids! Wanna play somethin'?"

As soon as the word _play_ came out from my mouth, children were instantly gathered around me.

"Let's play tag!"

"No, kick the can is more fun!"

"I want hide and seek!"

"Shogi!"

_Shogi_? Silence drew into the group as an extra voice joined the crowd.

"Shogi…" the voice repeated. I blinked, and then turned around to see- _Figures._

"It'll be Shogi… You and me, Lucy _nee-chan._"

I looked at my new company rather boredly. In front of me is a kid, a little older than the others, proudly displaying his marine uniform, complete with the cap on. Only shows how this chore boy loves being a freakin' marine.

"Nope, I refuse to play Shogi with you, Chip-_kun_." I answered him with a rather annoyed look on my face.

"What- just because I never won any match- you can't just brush me off!"

"Tch. Of course I can!"

"No, you can't! Or else I'll-"

"Or else you'll what, you dope head? Don't go blackmailing me again you brat! Playing the damn board game with you at the quarters 24/7 is just plain inhumane! You little-"

"Hey you!"

Our bickering was interrupted as the previously ignored children once again made their presence known.

"We were playing with _nee-chan_ first!"

"That's right! You're so unfair! We know that you got to play with _nee-chan_ everyday, but we rarely see her!"

"Yeah, and why're you following her again today? I bet you've got a crush on her, don't you?"

Then silence. I waited for a comeback, but none came. Thinking that it was a little strange, everyone, including me, stared at the shocked chore boy with curiosity. We stared and stared and stared. Then he looked down, and blushed. Aww. How cute.Heh, well, that got him to shut up.

Satisfied that it was the end of it, I just smirked then patted the chore boy's head gently as I turned to face the children once again.

"Alright guys, we're playin' hide and seek," The kids loudly cheered, so I continued. "Chip will be _it_." I heard Chip protest, but ignored it.

"You know the rules. No hiding far out the playground. We'll only have three rounds. The count's up to 30. No cheating! And lastly, don't freakin' hurt yourselves! I've always told y'all, didn't I? Only stupid people do that. Is that all clear?" I announced.

"Haaii!" They answered in unison as they started to disperse and giggle to themselves on how to hide on some bush or somethin'. When I turned around to check on Chip, he was still there, standing, dumbfounded. Tsk.

"Hey, are you nuts?! I said no cheating!" I snapped at 'im.

"But I-" He started to protest again, but I cut him off.

"You know, sometimes, we gotta work with that old-fashioned, stiff life style of yours."

He only quirked a brow at me.

"Psh… come on! You're, what, ten? And all you think about is being a marine and playing Shogi, which is an old man's thing if you ask me by the way… And you know, if you won't maximize your youth, kid, you'll be _doomed_…" he blinked, "_forever_…"

"…" he stared.

"…" I stared.

"…" We stared.

After a few more seconds of staring contest, he finally gave up. "Alright! I get it! I'm playing!"

I only smirked at this and started to walk away until I heard him again, "But I'll start with you Lucy _nee-chan_!" Tch, he sure didn't want that ego of his to be scratched a little huh? But well, it kinda suited him.

When I heard him start the count, I quickly looked for a tree that was far from the other kids but enough to see them in such distance. There were a number of trees around so finding a hiding place wasn't much trouble. When I found one from a group of trees, I took my time to climb it until I was about 20 feet from the ground, then settled for a comfortable yet safe seat on one of its branches. No way I'm gonna let myself be caught by that persistent kid, and watching him up here is kinda fun as it is.

When he finished counting, I watched as he warily turned around with a suspicious look on his face. When he started to walk around, he took every step _very carefully_, as if some landmine would've exploded if he didn't. Haha, he looked so stupid.

I was quietly laughing my head off until he started to look in the direction where I was hiding, _on the tree where I was hiding. _Wha- how the hell did he know that I'm here?

When he neared the trees, he picked up a stick, held it close to him like a gun, and gulped. Then he laid himself lower, his face gaining more intensity every minute…

What is this, the hunting season?! Like I'm some kind of wild animal or something?! And what's the stick for, huh? You're gonna whack me with it, huh?! Is that it?! Sheesh… Relax kid, relax! It's just a game, for pete's sake! It's not like some vicious… pirates… are… gonna… show… up?

Each thought on my mind slowed down, as annoyance and all other kinds of emotions also died down, as my brain tried to process what my eyes had perceived.

Just a few meters behind Chip were two men. One was dressed in an all-white outfit with a yellow piece of cloth around his collar, his brown hair fixed in a weird hairstyle, while the other was dressed in casual blue pants, an open purple jacket with his blond hair flailing around in a mess as he walked in his sandals. I purposely looked at the second one because his bare chest caught my attention… Uh, no, I'm not a freakin' pervert!

What_ specifically_ caught my attention was the _mark_ on his chest, which just confirmed my suspicions. It was the Jolly Roger, the mark of the most infamous pirates, which was claimed to be the strongest of them all_… _Known as one of the Yonko, the four "rulers" of the New World, they had "marked" many territories along its seas… They are one of the deadliest threats for the government…_ The Whitebeard Pirates_...

And in front of me were not just some unknown members of their crew, these two were _commanders_ of _the_ Whitebeard Pirates… In front of me were the 4th division commander, Thatch and 1st division commander, Marco the Phoenix.

What a _lovely _day, isn't it?

(END OF CHAPPIE 1)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **So, I decided that I'd post the second chappie immediately… out of whim…

And I forgot to say last time, it's my first fanfic! So I really need reviews for improvement… shishishi

(I hope I get some… *tosses coin on well*)

Here's the second chappie! Hope u like it.. ;)

_**CHAPTER 2**_

Oh. Crap.

Uhmm… What is happening again? Oh, yeah. I'm on my _supposed _to be day off, where I'm _supposed _to be relaxing, that was _supposed _to bein my BED. But please take note that the crucial part here is the word _**supposed**_.

So, uhmm… What is happening again? In _reality? _Oh nothing much, just having fun playin' hide and seek with some kids… But of course, Lady Luck just had to pull some twists on things!

I, Lucy, a marine- _scratch that_- a CHORE GIRL of the marines, up in a tree looking at my **ten-year old** chore boy companion just below this _very _tree, threatening some pirates- _again, scratch that_- threatening the infamous COMMANDERS of _the_ Whitebeard pirates with his _oh so frightening __**stick.**_

Wanna know what happened a few minutes ago? Well, actually, not minutes but _seconds _had passed because it just happened so fast. So let's make this quick. Here we go.

_ChipfoundmeasIwasinastateofshocksoheexcitedlyturnedaroundjusttobumpintothetwopirateswhomheimmediatelyrecognizedsoheconfrontedthemwithhisfreakingstickwhichbringsustoourcurrentsituation!_

(I know reading that was a pain in the ass, but bear with it!)

So to keep things from getting worse, I decided to get down from the tree as quietly as I could as I continued to listen to their conversation.

"Grrr. What do Whitebeard pirates want from this island? Moreover, why are two of the commanders here?!" I heard Chip shout at them. "I know you, you're the 4th and the 1st division commanders, Thatch and Marco!"

"Ooohh, look Marco. The little marine knows us. How cute." I heard one of them coo at the boy. So that was Thatch. Then, I heard light footsteps probably going in Chip's direction. One of them is walkin' up to him! But who? _Tsk_. I fastened my pace a little as I desperately thought of a plan to escape this, not knowing what the pirates might do next.

Step, step, step… Then it stopped? Still in hiding while climbing down the tree, I'm still about a few meters away from the ground, but I could tell that the others, Chip and the two commanders, were just a few feet away from the tree where I was hiding…

"What do Whitebeard pirates want from this island, eh? Hmm…" A new voice asked, most probably Marco. "Well, let me ask you first, are you a Whitebeard pirate?"

"Of course I'm not! Can't you tell from what I'm wearing? I'm a full-pledged marine, you idiot!" I heard Chip snarl. Double _tsk_. Don't call them idiot, you idiot! Don't you know they could easily snap your neck with their bare fingers? Just like that stupid stick you're holding! So shut up, kid, shut up!

"Then I can't tell ya, it's none of your business… But don't worry kid, we're not to harm anyone nor start any fight…" I heard him reply, in complete contrary to what I expected. "See ya kid, don't get lost, yoi!"

Then I heard multiple footsteps walking away from our direction. That was it? They're not gonna "teach him any lesson" or something? Not even a flick on the head? Well… Whew! Seems they won't bother themselves for a kid like him, huh?

Feeling relieved, I quickened myself to go down the damn tree. But said relief only lasted a few seconds when I heard the stubborn voice of the boy shout at the two retreating men.

"Grrr… WHO WOULD BELIEVE YOU, YOU STINKIN' PIRATES?! Just you wait, I'D TELL THIS TO VICE ADMIRAL GARP!"

"Garp? Garp's in this island?" The 1st division commander asked…

Well… **Shit.**

That very moment, panic instantly entered my whole system, as all logic flew out of the window. With just about six feet from the ground remaining, I jumped down in one go, turned, quickly threw myself on the chore boy and clamped my arms and hands both on his mouth and around his body. I tried my best, but I hardly kept him in place in my grasp as he was squirming around too much. _Why oh why now, of all times, he would act his freakin' age!_

"Oh _Chip-kun_, I finally found you! Where have you been? I've been so worried, with you running off like that. Your father would be very worried if you ever get hurt. _You should behave more properly, dear, or else you'll actually get __**hurt**__. _" I fake-asked him in the most motherful voice I could utter, putting more intensity/threat on the last phrase of the sentence, which at the very least caught his attention and he got the idea. That's right, let me control this situation before it gets out of hand, though it already_**is**_out of hand.

"Eh? Who're you? Where'd you come from?" the 4th division commander asked me, quite… suspiciously… Keep the cameras rolling please, this could be the act of the century.

"Oh, I'm so sorry gentlemen. I'm this boy's mother and he just keeps on running off and disturbing the neighbourhood while playing marine. You see, he really idolizes them and aspires to be one at the future. But how can he become a marine when he's not even listening to his parents? Seriously. Kids these days are really troublesome aren't they?" I ranted as a good ol' mother that I should be and forced a small smile unto them. Mothers really do that, aren't they? Their rants keep going on and on and on nonstop with a thoughtful look on their faces, until they're satisfied.

"Did Chip-_kun_ cause you some trouble?" I continued my act. Oh good heavens! Thank God I'm not on my freakin' uniform!

"Uh, no ma'am… We just thought we'd warn him about the dangers he could encounter when he's alone like this. You know, like _pirates…_" This time, it was the 1st division commander who talked to me, displaying his truly _creepy _smirk at me (how _flattering_) as he put the utmost intensity in the word **pirate**. I gulped at this…

"Oh, I guess you're right. It is pretty dangerous for a fragile woman like me and a stubborn kid like Chip-_kun_ to be alone like this, even though we know the place…" I responded, starting to give off signs of nervousness… "It's a good thing nothing bad had happened, isn't it?" _Oh the __**irony**__…_

Even though I asked them a question, I waited for no response. I waved the two men words of thanks and a couple of goodbyes, quickly turned and briskly walked away because I couldn't hide my fear for long. That _creepy _dude was just TOO CREEPY, that between living in a haunted house and looking at his creepy smile, I'd rather live in the haunted house!

With Chip still locked into my arms, I quickly walked away from the two. I refused to let him go- no. I didn't recognize that I still firmly held unto the boy because I was completely consumed by a nagging feeling inside me, as if I am followed. Well, am I? To confirm my suspicions, I slowly and carefully turned around to see… nothing. But it provided me the least relief I wanted. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, but feeling _something_… or someone? I held Chip closer. He was not moving, but I swear I can _feel_ his heartbeat hardly pounding along with mine. I guess I'm not the only one to feel this way.

Before continuing to walk ahead, I paused for a moment, closed my eyes and gathered what little courage was left of me… _Inhale, exhale…_ Then I opened my eyes. Feeling more determined than a few seconds ago, I held onto that little piece of courage as if my life depended on it, only for said courage to be shattered into even smaller pieces, and crushed further into ashes, when I heard a voice_ really_ _close _behind me…

"Oi…" _It was him…_

…

…

…

"KKYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I shouted on the top of my lungs as my legs involuntarily moved by themselves, as if activating some hidden power. I ran as fast as I could, not even bothering to look behind me as I knew that voice that I just met a while ago all too well… the _creepy dude_…

If a few minutes ago, it was me who firmly held unto Chip with my arms, this time it was him who latched himself around my neck, gripping it tightly and choking me in the process. But I didn't care anymore! I'd rather die by his hands rather than by that _creepy dude!_

"Hey! Wait! We just wanted to talk, yoi!" The _creepy dude _said… Heh, as if!

Regaining his will to speak again, Chip stuttered his question to me, "W-what now, _n-nee-chan_?!"

"YOU BRING US INTO TROUBLE THEN YOU ASK ME THIS?!" I shouted back, now feeling annoyed rather than being frightened of our dilemma.

"B-but _nee-chan_, I d-didn't know they were _t-that _creepy! And b-besides, this is not the time for-"

"I know, I know! Just let me think for a sec!" I irritably answered back. But there was absolutely no time to think, nor even blink. Just a few seconds after, I saw blue flames flew from behind and landed in front of us just to change back into its human form… It was Marco… So this is Marco the _Phoenix_.

Feeling completely mesmerized of his little show, silence drew in for the first few seconds. Then I blinked. I then realized that we were already surrounded, the Phoenix in front and Thatch in our backs. Panic instantly grew in my guts as I frantically wracked my brain for a way to escape.

"Uhmm… E-excuse me? B-but me and my son are g-going home now…" I asked them in a quiet voice to hide my fear, but to no avail. It was too much for me that it spilled throughout my very being. But what choice do I have! I have to continue the act until we get the hell outta here! With Chip still latched on my neck, silently trembling out of fear (what happened to the cocky attitude?), I simply waited for their response, seeing that it was the most appropriate thing to do at the moment…

"Oh, sorry ma'am but… We were kind of lost?" Thatch asked from behind me… _mockingly? _What the?

"Yeah, so we would like, you know, ask for directions from someone responsible… Like a _marine…_" This time it was the _creepy dude_ who talked… Wait, did he say marine?

"M-marine? W-who?" I tried my best to act innocently, but I just _have _to _stutter_ each word! Fuck this shit!

I looked at him for a response, but all he did was look back at me… at my eyes, to my left shoulder, to my left arm, to my left hand, and then stopped on my left hip? It's strange even for a pervert to look just on one side of the body… Is there even such a thing as the "left fetish"? Where all you want is the left side? I grimaced.

Then that's when I realized it… I slowly moved my left hand to touch something that I _really _hoped I wouldn't… But guess what? _I did! _There, attached on my pants is my cap. But not just any other cap, of course… It was a cap with the letters **M-A-R-I-N-E** on it… I paled, then I saw him smirk the _creepy smirk_… So much for the act of the century, bitch! *Burns camera on the 7th hell* Burn you freak! Buuuuurrnnn!

Stupid! I'm so stupid! What's with my acting with the wrong costume on! This is not a fucking rehearsal! It's the real deal, you idiot!

Seeing the transition of our situation from dilemma into chaos, I didn't know what to do anymore, so I just stayed there, rooted on our positions… As if waiting in an execution platform… Then I felt Chip tug at my shirt. I saw him look at me with a determined look on his face and nodded to me… He's right, this isn't the time to panic or give up… Guess we'll do this the old way huh?

Having decided our next move, I slowly put the boy down and kept a serious façade. "Chip, we'll go for Code 1…" I whispered to the boy, and then he readied himself… When I saw Marco take a step towards us, I took this as a signal to start _Code 1… _Alright, let's do this.

I moved. I acted as if I was going to attack Marco and quickly charged at him to catch him off guard. But it didn't affect him at all, so I came to an instant halt, _as planned_, looked at the trees on my left and made a shocked expression, as Chip did the same, then we shouted in unison, "V-VICE ADMIRAL GARP?!"

The two, in an instant, looked at the direction where we were looking at and positioned themselves in their fighting stances, only to find… no one… Woah, nice reflexes, dudes. (Well, can't really blame them if they fear the old man… I mean he's _really_ crazy and_ really _strong… A bad combination, I tell you… _BAD..._)

"It's a feint!" We heard the 4th division commander shout behind our backs. We were already running in the opposite direction the time the two took their eyes away from us… Not really a brilliant nor a chivalrous decision, but who cares?! We're the freakin' CHORE SQUAD!

"Come back here you twits!" I heard him continue. Tch, as if we will! Right back at you, you twit!

"Alright Chip-_kun _, I want you to help me find bamboos… They're here somewhere…" I told the boy between pants, as we were desperately running away from the pirates.

"Huh? I know there's a clearing straight ahead full of bamboos… But for what?" He answered, doing the same.

Then I smirked, "I've got a plan… We'll escape this…"

Readying ourselves to my _I-hope-this-shit-would-work _plan, I risked a peek behind my shoulder to see if we lost the perpetrators, only to find…

"Hi girlie…" The Phoenix said as he smiled at me, that I wouldn't be so afraid of by now… IF IT'S NOT JUST A FEW INCHES AWAY FROM MY FACE!

"KKKYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" And with another adrenaline rush, I quickly grabbed Chip's arm and rushed faster into the damn clearing! But just before I widened the distance between us and the pirates, I swear I heard the two men chuckle at us… Fuck you!

As we reached our destination, I found what I was looking for, tall swaying bamboos.

"Quick, latch into my back!" I told Chip, and without another word he jumped at my back and held unto my neck just like before, my balance being knocked off a bit in the process but managed to get back on track.

"Hey girlie! Stop! We won't do anything! We just wanted to talk, yoi!" The Phoenix said once again… Seriously, what's with the _girlie_? Would you be happy if I called you _boyie_? And again, what made you think I'd go chit-chatting with pirates? I'm a _marine _for fuck's sake! Tch, _idiots…_

Feeling that my legs were starting to get numb from all the running, I reached for the smoke bombs in my pockets (they always come in handy) then briskly threw them in places where it seemed fit, which resulted to many mini-explosions that produced thick black smoke all over the clearing.

"What the?!" I heard Thatch shout as all four came to a halt, also signifying that all four are now blinded by the interference. Satisfied with the results, I then proceeded to quickly climb one of the bamboos only with the sense of touch. (You don't really need sight if you held unto one anyway)

With no signs of them having found us, I continued to climb up. And once on top, I swayed myself, with Chip on my back, forward then backwards, shifting my weight at each direction with great timing and forcing the plant to do as I please. I continued this process, until the 12 feet bamboo was bent half way down the ground…

"_N-nee-chan_… I a-actually have an idea of w-what you're doing, but I j-just want to confirm… Y-your plan is…?" Chip asked me quite nervously as he held unto me for dear life…

So I answered…

"Heh, we're flying…"

(END OF CHAPPIE 2)


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: **_Hey! An update! And a long one too! Woooo!

MY GOD! Thank you for the reviews! I got two! YEAHH! *throws confetti* Really, I'm so so so happy!

Actually I wanted to post sooner but exams caught me up… haha, I haven't even made a decent profile in actually… sheesh… But don't worry, I'll do my best!

BTW… Just say anything, uhmm, in a not hurtful way, how my writing is? I need to know if my writing is too crappy- transitions, plot and plot holes, characters, POVs, heck even grammar! Haha!_ #firstfanfic_

So please, review! **It's a source of power! **

So without further ado, I now present… the 3rd Chappie! ;)

_**CHAPTER 3**_

*Cough*Cough*Cough*

"Geez, what's with the smoke? I thought their only option was to run away, seeing the feint just a while ago… Tsk, didn't know the girl had some brains…" Thatch cursed to himself as his partner only frowned.

*Cough*Cough* Cough*

"Thatch, I'll try to fly and look for them. Just stay here, I'll be back…" Marco said calmly.

*Cough*Cough* Cough*

"Of course I'll stay! It's not like I'd grow wings and fly anytime now!" The other annoyingly answered back. Without another reply, Marco transformed into his hybrid form, his arms turning into blue flames shaped into large wings. He was about to take off when…

"KKYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The commanders, for the third time that day, heard the helpless cries of the people they were looking for… in the _sky_? Their heads instantly snapped upwards only to catch a glimpse of the two, who were… _literally_… flying off towards _God-knows-where_…

"What on earth...?" was the only thing Thatch had murmured… while gaping like a fish out of water…

"…" They lost sight of them…

"…" The voices faded…

"…" The smoke dissipated…

"…" Then silence…

_Oh geez…_

"Tsk, they're gone… Marco, this is bad. Pops ain't finished with treatment yet. If it's true that Garp's in here…" Thatch didn't even need to continue…

_It'll mean trouble_… *Sigh*

"I'll go look for the two and stop them if they were to tell us off to the authorities… For now, you go confirm the information and warn the others, just in case the cover's blown…" Marco ordered.

"Aye, aye!" Thatch mock saluted to the other commander. Knowing what to do, the two then separated their ways and proceeded as planned. Marco flew towards the direction where the marines flew off and the other just casually walked in some other random direction…

If before, Marco felt amusement on chasing the two marines, now he felt irritation and worry… He didn't think that something like scouting the island for supplies would turn into playing with some marines and finally, endangering their captain… This'll gonna be a _long day_.

**line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line**

Somewhere along Water Seven, peace reigned amongst the citizens of the city. People were going on about their lives as usual, not knowing that above the heavens… well, above their _roofs_, something unusual had happened…

"KYYAAAAAA-"

"Eh? Darling, did you hear something?" An old lady asked his husband as she washed the dishes.

"Nope, I didn't." was his stern reply as he took a sip of his coffee, eyes never leaving the newspaper on hand…

"-AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"It's getting louder my love…" The old lady pushed further as she paused to intently listen on said noise…

"Nope, still don't hear anything…" he replied blandly once again after turning a page of the newspaper in tow… Then…

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" **CRASH!**

…

…

…

"You're right dear… Must be my imagination… Want some more coffee?" The old lady simply stated, sensing nothing out of the ordinary...

_(Now we turn from the old couple to the old couple's house's rooftop…)_

"O-oww… My head…" I whined as I tried to untangle myself from the white sheets of cloths around me. It seems like we landed on some home's laundry. _Finally! Some luck to offset this disaster! _"Hey, Chip. You alright?"

"Y-yeah, I guess…" He answered doing the same. "Next time, _nee-chan_ could you please count off or at least warn me before taking off? I thought that I was gonna **die**…"

"Hehe… Sorry, my bad… But we don't have time for this Chip-_kun_." I said as I carefully stood up and glanced on both our bodies, double checking for injuries, then feeling relieved when none was seriously taken.

"You're right _nee-chan_, we have to report this to the officers, quick!" He stated, but I disagreed.

"Correction: _**I **_will report this to the officers." I corrected him.

"But _nee-chan_, I want to-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Chip, aren't you forgetting something?" I asked but he only frowned, "We left the kids on the playground… _alone_…"

Then it clicked him. "The children! They're still playing hide and seek by the trees!"

"Exactly. We managed to lure the pirates away from them a bit earlier, but we can't be sure that they are safe now." I stated.

"Eh? We did?" He questioned but then realized the answer on his own, "Oh. We _did_… I thought that we were just running away randomly earlier…" I heard him mumble. _Sigh... This kid seriously believes that the only thing I think about is running away, huh? Sigh… _***insert self-pity track here***

"Ahem!" I snapped out, "Anyways, our priority is not starting a _war_ between the two forces, but protecting the lives of the citizens, which includes those innocent children playing by themselves on the grounds. But the pirates don't know this, and I hope they wouldn't find them by chance because they would surely be in danger. So what I want you to do is secretly find the witch-err- Okiku as soon as possible and tell her where the kids are, she'll know what to do." I commanded and he nodded at this, so I continued.

"If I interpreted their actions right earlier, the pirates are not just gonna sit down and let this matter go, since you spilled off that we'd tell this off to Garp… It's either they'll shut us up or flee… Whatever it is, use this chance to ask help from Okiku while I'll try my best to reach the higher ups as quickly as possible."

"B-but _nee-chan_! What if they find you?! They're _commanders _you know! They could easily snap your neck with their bare fingers!" He stated. Guess my language's starting to rub off on him.

"Oh _puh-lease… _Don't worry about me! I'm not your ordinary chore girl, remember?" I reassured him with a pat on his shoulder.

"…Okay _nee-chan_, just be careful… And I'll do my best!" He said to me with a determined look on his face.

"Now, that's a marine! Now, remember, your priority is to save those kids, **nothing else**. _Don't go off doing stupid things_, understood?" I warned him off while looking straight into his eyes.

"Hai!" He firmly responded with a serious façade. Then I smiled.

"Alright… LET'S DO THIS!"

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_**~ABOUT AN HOUR LATER~**_

"Tsk… Can't find them anywhere…" I cursed to myself. If I remember correctly the way they flew off, they should've landed somewhere in this market. But there are no signs of them anywhere. _Tsk._

After about 15 minutes of scanning the area by air, I gave up flying as I noticed that marines were roaming around the city. And it's quite a number too. So, in order to keep a low profile, I disguised myself a bit by wearing a plain brown cloak, just continued my search by land, and settled to asking the residents around about the two, but to no avail. I guess they were marines after all, seeing that no citizens knew about them. _Oh geez, so troublesome._ Couldn't I just leave 'em and be on my way? _Nope…_

*Sigh*

This is ridiculous.

According to Vista, Pops' treatment should be finished for another 2 to 3 hours tops… And just to make matters worse, I just confirmed that Garp is really on this island, _somewhere_. So I really hafta catch the two, shut 'em up and buy us some more time, huh?

*Sigh*

This is _really _ridiculous.

While thinking about how on earth I would find the two amidst the city, a conversation of some marines caught my attention. Interested on what was being talked about, I hid myself in an alley close to them to clearly hear them further…

"Oh, come on! Why do we have to be on a whole day patrol when the captain said we totally have the week off?" A marine whined.

"Eh, haven't you heard? It seems like someone managed to sneak in and steal from a marine ship again last night despite its security. It's alarming because even though the ships docked in only a couple of days ago, it's already the 4th time this week, so an order was given to catch the criminal as soon as possible. A search team was even initiated, and we aid them by patrolling possible hiding areas." His comrade replied.

"What? Are you serious? I haven't heard of it. So what was stolen? Treasure? Special weapon? " The other asked.

"Well, actually it was nothing like that. What the perpetrator stole was confidential information. And actually, just between you and me, it was like the perpetrator …" This time, the reply came as a whisper.

"Eh? What do you mean by _had all things thoroughly planned?"_ The other marine curiously asked again.

"Well, according to reports, there was only one kind of information the perpetrator would steal… It's about the Devil Fruits in government custody… All other top secret information were left untouched. Investigators now have tried to look for evidences bu-"

Their conversation and my little spying game was then suddenly cut off when their troop leader shouted at them and gave them orders. "Hey! You two! Don't slack off, or you'll never get the day off! On your positions!"

"Y-yes sir!" I heard them salute back at their leader.

Seeing that I wouldn't get any more than that, I simply walked away from the marines and went on my way, but couldn't get my mind off from what I just heard.

A thief huh? So that's why the city is swarmed by marines all over the place… I hope they wouldn't come by where Pops is by now…

My deep line of thought was then cut off when I saw something strange up the main fountain right at the center of Water Seven. Hehe, maybe I'll just think of the other matter later on and work on the problem at hand…

Standing still up there was no other than the person I was searching for in ages…

_Looks like you've finally shown yourself… girlie… _

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"Where am I again? Hmmm…"

Alone in the "mini forest" where Marco left him, Thatch took his time to get out of the place. He had been walking around for the past twenty minutes contemplating on how he could get back on the ship, when he doesn't remember the way back. _Tsk. Didn't know we got this far from the others…_

In order to figure things out, he first did a double check on his stuff and made a list as follows:

Map? **None.**

Someone to ask? **None.**

An idea of the way back? **None.**

A pet to play with? **None.**

The Phoenix? **None!**

_(The pet was just to kill boredom. Miss you Stefan!)_

Since it was Marco to lead the way earlier, he didn't care anymore of directions, rest assured that the Phoenix could fly anytime and pinpoint where they are. But now that he didn't have the Phoenix _(please refer to the above checklist)_, his only choice now is to first get out of there and go somewhere at least more _civilized _to know where he is and where to go.

"Wonder how Marco and the others are doing?" He asked himself in a whisper. There was complete silence at the moment until he heard something nearby…

"Lucy _nee-chaaaan_! _Chibi _marine-_kuuun_! Where are yoouuu?!"

"Come on out noooww! We want to go hooome!"

"Neeee! Where are you hidiiing?!"

It was feint but he was sure that those sounds are joint voices of people somewhere close… Curious and at the same time hopeful that there'll be _at last _someone to ask for directions, he hurriedly looked for the source of said voices, only to see something he didn't expect to see…

"Eh? Children…?"

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"Okiku-_nee_! Okiku-_nee_!" Chip shouted between pants as he desperately gasped for air. He was running nonstop since he had gone to the "mission" Lucy had given him.

"Okiku-_nee_! Okiku-_nee_!" he repeated. Quite not sure of where he was headed, he randomly looked at nearby households, at least knowing that the person he was looking for should be somehow nearby. He continued this pattern for the next few minutes, but produced zero results. Preventing himself to panic, he tried to recall the exact conversation he had with Lucy:

"_Now listen, to find Okiku, just turn right to the next alley from here, turn left, and go straight ahead that road. Just keep running until you find the most distinguishable house in the area." Lucy said hurriedly._

"_Most distinguishable house? That's too vague! How would I know if I found the right one?" The chore boy questioned._

"_Don't worry, you'll know…" Was her only answer…_

**Don't worry, you'll know…**

*Sigh*

"Aargh! Lucy _nee-chan_! You idioooot!" He shouted out of frustration, "Like I said! Your description was-"

Then he stopped on his tracks, as he was silently shocked/dumbfounded/astonished/flabbergasted/stunned by what he saw in front of him… Rusty old gates, spooky trees and dead plants, dark-colored run-down house, smashed windows and doors, gothic designs, broken statues, even dark clouds around it emitting a ghostly atmosphere… If there was only one word he could use to describe the house in front, it would be the word **CREEPY**…

"Sorry, Lucy_-nee_, I take back what I said… You're right… You're absolutely right about the description about her house…" he said as he just stood quietly still in front of the gate of the said house… He didn't move for a few seconds, until…

"…Chip-_kun_?"

The chore boy shrieked and immediately snapped his head on the unknown company. He was about to take off when he noticed that it was a woman, who seems to just finish locking the gates of the "haunted" house. Realizing that his name was called by her, he intently looked at the said stranger … (Okay, let's recycle the previous part, shall we?)

_Again _he stopped on his tracks, as he was silently shocked/dumbfounded/astonished/flabbergasted/stunned by what he saw in front of him… A woman in pink dress that goes down below her knees, with a small pouch just by her thigh, wearing red shoes with matching ribbons, colorful accessories matching her pink cheeks and lips, curly blonde hair tied in two buns, and a radiant smile on her face… If there was only one word he could use to describe the woman in front, it would be the word** CUTESY**…

**This would be the irony of the year**

"Uhmm… Okiku-_nee_?" Chip asked in a low voice…

"Yup! That's me! You're Chip-_kun_, right?" The woman answered then asked excitedly. As a response, Chip only nodded slowly at her. He was confused on what is happening, and of course, on what he is seeing in front of him…

"I was expecting you!" She said, and again, Chip just grew even more confused, thus only blinking at the statement. Okiku, impatient as she was, started to get on with business. "We're going, right?"

This made Chip realize his previous mission. "Oh y-yeah! Okiku-_nee_, the children are in-" he was cut off.

"Trouble?" Okiku continued, as she held out a Tarot card, its back facing the boy. Chip, again, only nodded at the woman's absurd actions, his confusion just going even deeper. But the said woman paid no heed to this. She just giggled and continued to walk beside the boy only to bring out another Tarot card, as she smiled again softly at her company…

"So, could you please lead the way?"

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*Pant*Pant*Pant*

"Am I really going to do this?" I asked myself for _who-knows-how-many-times _already…

*Gulp*

" .Ohmygosh! This is scary! Didn't know the main fountain could be this HIGH!" I shrieked again as I slightly trembled in my position…

Just for your sake, reader-_san_, let me first describe the said position…

#1 _First, let's do a little close up_. If you only look at my person, really, there's nothing out of the ordinary. On the third person's point of view, it's just a girl, standing still…

#2 _A little zoom out please._ There's a_ really_ beautiful fountain behind me, that I just look like a tourist posing in front of some attraction…Its water is smoothly flowing along the majestically carved designs of the said fountain, which causes it to splash little water at my feet making them slightly wet as I stood by the _edge _of its platform…

#3 _A complete zoom out please. _Okay, uhmmm… there's just one itsy-bitsy detail here that needs to be said… I AM CURRENTLY STANDING A HUNDRED FEET FROM THE FUCKING GROUND!

Okay, before you call me stupid, let me explain things first…

Just after Chip and I separated our ways, I already proceeded to work on my "goals", namely: one, to get the attention of the pirates to me, and two, to report this to a responsible officer before they catch me… which causes me to come up with two plans… The first of which is **Plan A: No Need To Distract The Pirates Because I Just Need To Quickly Find Captain Smoker And Let Him Do His Shit**…

I first tested plan A…

I quickly motioned to find Captain Smoker, trusting _only _him to do the _right_ judgement on the situation as I don't want to blow up the city when a "war" is started. (Also, I don't want him to blame me **again **for something like reporting to the "wrong guy" of important matters.) And even the first thing to have crossed my mind was to report directly to the most appropriate man, namely, Vice Admiral Garp but… I don't have an idea of where he was… And well, really, I have my personal reasons of not wanting to see him… So I ran all over the places where I hope I could find the captain, but I just had tough luck.

In short, **Plan A = FAIL**… With my precious time only wasted from the first plan, I quickly proceeded with the second plan namely, **Plan B: A Plan That Will Distract The Pirates And At The Same Time Find Captain Smoker So He Could Finally Do His Shit**…

Well, to make things simple, this is how Plan B goes: To fish out the captain from the city, I just had to climb the highest place in the area and make an all-out yell to call him myself… **Really, it's another one of those **_**I-hope-this-shit-works **_**plan…**

Okay, you can call me stupid now…

"So again, I just wanna ask, am I continuing this stupidity?" I asked to no one in particular for the last time. I closed my eyes… then no response… "Well then, let's just apply here the principle of _silence means yes…_"

Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes and looked at the vast skies…

_Inhale… Exhale…_

"_Alright, I'm ready_…"

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I ran as fast as I could towards the center of the city, my eyes never leaving the main fountain… my destination… _my target…_

"Huh? What is girlie doing up there spacing out?" I asked curiously, "Is she crazy or what?"

Seeing some marines walking up ahead, I made a quick turn on another alley and just took another route towards the fountain. It'll be troublesome if they find me _now_… Having checked that the coast is clear, I fastened my pace towards the said destination, which was a few more blocks away from where I was situated at…"Tsk, if only I could fly around the area…" I cursed inwardly, feeling uneasy looking at the girl still standing by the edge of the main fountain…

Still seeing that there were no obstacles along the road, I kept running at constant speed… Then, after a short while of running, I slowed down as I was almost at the fountain's base, now thinking of the fastest way to climb the damn thing unnoticed…

I was a little relieved when she was still rooted on her post doing nothing. But then a few seconds later, she moved. I saw her lift her hands up towards both sides of her mouth, and stand firmly on her feet. I blinked at this, "What's she planning this time?"

After just a few seconds of anticipation came in the loud voice of the girl, which disturbed the majority of people all over the city…

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION PLEASE!"

_What?_

"TO ALL MARINES HERE IN WATER SEVEN! I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!"

"Shit! Is she serious?! Is she going to announce to _all _the marines around that we're here?!" I frantically said as I put my cloak away and as my arms started to transform into blue flames in form of wings. _I really didn't have any other choice do I? I just have to grab the girl, hide her away and act as if she wasn't up there in the first place…_

So without a second thought, I took off…

But in just a matter of seconds, my feet not yet even leaving the ground, I suddenly tripped over _nothing,_ my face hitting the hard ground in the process… I actually have no idea how the hell that happened, but at least I know **why**… And that exact reason is: I just heard the _most_ absurd statement that any other person would expect _the least _in such situation_,_ and that _very_ statement was…

"**CAPTAIN SMOKER IS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH HIS CHORE GIRL!"**

.heck?!

_(END OF CHAPPIE 3)_


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: **_So, yeah… uhmm, I think I updated a little too late…

I just took my exams… TEDIOUS, HARD exams… **Ugh**…

But anyways, I updated! So instead of a cookie, I need a review! Hahaha jk

BTW. I really think that the progress is slow, so I'll try to make things faster the next chapter, okiee? So tell me watcha think? I'm kinda having difficulty drafting/outlining the story, so please tell me if all looks fine… again #firstfanfic… so I BEG you, be nice? Wahahahaha!

~Author's Note End~

Chappie 4 start!

_**CHAPTER 4**_

"What would you like to have, mister?" A bartender asked a customer who was leaning by the table…

It was a man…

"Just some beer…" Was his only answer. And without further ado, his order came after a short while, and the bartender left the man in order to do other tasks at hand…

Even though now that he's completely alone, his presence cannot be ignored as his appearance says that his status is quite different from the average… The said man wore an open white jacket showing his torso, with several cigarettes pinned on it, the word "justice" written on its back, together with a jutte attached on his back, dark blue pants, brown gloves and boots, and his white hair slightly sticking up his head…

The man took a gulp of his drink then slowly put it down and looked at the glass at hand… It seems that he was thinking deeply of some important matters, that even though it was quiet around the bar, and no one is disturbing such peace, the man's face was aggravated…

"Tsk. Of all the troops that would be assigned, why on earth it had to be mine? _Vice Admiral Garp needs aid_, my ass! Argh… Just when I thought I could now chase the Straw hats all over the place… Tsk…" The man cursed to himself. Trying to calm down and forget the matter, he gulped the remaining contents of his glass in one go, took out a couple of cigarettes, lit them and relaxed… He first wanted to have a peace of mind, before the matter gets the better of him…

After a few minutes, the man finally dampened his anger, now finally enjoying his time alone at the bar… until he heard something from outside…

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION PLEASE!"

He heard a muffled voice that he somehow recognized, but not quite sure of it, so he quickly paid for the beer and went outside as to see who it was…. He was looking for the source of the commotion when the voice rang once again…

"TO ALL MARINES HERE IN WATER SEVEN! I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!"

_He knew it_. He knew the voice all too well but didn't want to acknowledge it… as it spelled **TROUBLE**. So still keeping his hopes up, he went to confirm his suspicions and looked where he thought the disturbance originated… And that's when he saw _**her**_… *Insert sounds of hope being crushed*

"What is it this time?!" He snarled, his anger, which he dampened a while ago, only doubling its intensity…

In just a matter of seconds later, the doubled intensity of anger tripled- no… It went up a hundred times more when he heard the next _statement_ of the girl standing up the main fountain of the city, acting up like some grand stage of a play, announcing _it_ to all the people present…

"**CAPTAIN SMOKER IS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH HIS CHORE GIRL!"**

…

…

…

He gaped.

His mouth was left hanging open with the lit cigarettes falling out in the process… (Dear reader-_san_, if you already know him, please help me count off in the next section to show our sympathy… ok?)

And just like a volcano on the verge of eruption, like a student who suddenly lost all his thesis files the night before deadline, like a teenage girl who cracked her newly polished multi-colored nail art, like an otaku who lost internet connection in the middle of an awesome scene in an anime he's watching, and like a wife who caught her husband cheating on her with another woman… his anger _finally _exploded, in…

3…

2…

1…

"**WHAT OBSCENITIES ARE YOU SPREADING ABOUT ME, YOU FOOL!" **

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_Come on, you stupid captain! Show up already! I can't wait for 'ya forever! _

After that _grand/stupid _performance, there's really nothing left to do but to wait and see if **Plan B **worked, so I nervously stayed at the freakin'ly high fountain and waited…

And waited… and waited… and… waited…

Uh, okay…? Do I need to repeat my announcement? Maybe I should've announced that Smoker was gay… _Alright! Sounds good!_

Preparing on putting the equally **(if not more)** ridiculous plan into action, I, again, readied myself for another all-out yell. But when I heard a shout that wasn't mine from afar, I figured that I didn't need to yell myself. It was the captain.

"**WHAT OBSCENITIES ARE YOU SPREADING ABOUT ME, YOU FOOL!?" **The captain shouted on the top of his lungs. My head snapped at the source of the voice which was nearer than expected. I saw the captain just a few blocks away from the fountain's base… running/dashing towards my direction… _**angrily**__… _

Hmmm, typical…

"HEEEYY! CAPTAIN SMOKER! I'M HEEERREE!" I excitedly shouted back with a smile on my face. Well, I have to be proud of my performance! Coz it WORKED! HAHA!

The captain, as soon as he saw me, fastened his pace even more, and I on the other hand just sat on the platform of the fountain feeling relieved somehow, and celebrating my little success… already _forgetting_ the **major **problem…

Well, I guess that whoever is up there in the heavens is really thoughtful, I mean 'ya know, coz he made the effort to make me remember the forgotten **major **problem when I saw _him_…

Just a few blocks from the base of the main fountain was the **major **problem… Slightly faster than Captain Smoker's pace, I saw the **major **problem start to run and climb each platform of the Main fountain… While I, just like any measly human being, started to panic when I realized that the **major **problem is fast approaching… **(just like in real life, isn't it?)**

WHY OH WHY!?

When I saw Marc-the** major **problem, I instantly snapped out of my "celebration" mode and immediately changed the gear into "desperation" mode… In short, it's time to RUN!

But just when I turned around to go to the _Yagara Bull _(ya'know, those horse-like-fish-like creatures that take cargoes around) I rented to go up the fountain… I only saw a small wrecked boat… but the Bull? It was GONE. (I'm pretty sure you would've guessed it. Cheers for Lady Luck!)

No, no, don't panic. Let's take this one step at a time.

**STOP…**

**LOOK…**

**LISTEN…**

Nope, it's gone… TIME TO PANIC!

FUCK! How on earth would I go down from here?! Heck, how on earth can I escape the creepy Phoenix without a freakin ride! SHIT! I knew that I shouldn't have trusted that stingy old man and just paid for a normal Bull! Tsk, didn't know that paying half the normal price would give me half the trip I wanted! Huhuhuhu…

Suddenly, without another warning, the unavoidable encounter began…

"Hey girlie…"

_Oh no… _With my back facing the man, I heard the voice of the last person I wanted to see/hear/talk/meet/have anything to do with at the moment… I stood still…

"Problem, yoi?" the **major **problem said… _You don't say?_

Again, my back still facing the man, I ignored him and just stood still… I may look calm and collected like that, but BELIEVE me, I AM NOT. It's not like I didn't move because I had the **nerve** to ignore him, I didn't move because I **didn't **have the **nerve **to face him… I REPEAT: **I AM JUST A MEASLY HUMAN BEING THAT CANNOT HANDLE CREEPY DUDES WHO TURN INTO FLAMES AND FLY.**

"Girlie…?" I heard him ask once more, but again, I didn't reply…

BRAIN! Could you please cooperate with me?! You've been saving me these past 27 years! Remember those days we've been through! You can't just leave me when we're like these, right? I need a way out!

It seems like the Phoenix wasn't patient enough to wait for me (crazily thinking of some way out) when I heard him take a step towards me… and stopped a few feet away…

"Hey, before anything, listen…" He said in a soft voice. I don't know why but it calmed me for a bit… "Let us go this time… just this once…"

"Like I said! Why do I ha-" I turned around and complained to him by some kind of reflex, but instantly stopped when I saw him… his face… _he was serious… _

He stood casually, his weight inclined on one foot, one hand on his waist. His purple jacket and his hair flailed and waved gently through the wind. His stance might have implied a nonchalant attitude, but his expression says otherwise… His eyes were directly looking at mine. They were piercing, serious, composed, _transparent…_

I didn't know how to respond, now that fear/anxiety dissipated but an unreadable feeling lingered to me. Were pirates always been like these? The way he acted… it was just like _him…_

A moment of silence drew in for a few seconds when it was disturbed by an angry yell from an angry captain, **"CHORE GIRL LUCY! Come down here you fool!"**

Startled by the sudden disturbance, I instantly turned around to check on it…

…only to stumble and fall on the wrecked small boat…

…which scurried over the "falls" from the main fountain…

…and fell straight to HELL.

_When will the unlucky streak end?!_

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"Eh? Children…?"

When he said that he wanted to have someone to ask for directions, Thatch finally had what he wished for… But they're quite different from what he expected… In front of him were kids, ages ranging from four years old up to seven… Some were crying/bawling, some were playing and some, the oldest ones in the group were guiding the younger ones as one boy lead the group…

"Lucy _nee-chaaaan_! _Chibi _marine-_kuuun_! Where are yoouuu?!"

"Come on out noooww! We want to go hooome!"

"Neeee! Where are you hidiiing?!"

Not quite sure if he could ask them for directions (seems they're lost themselves) or even how to react, Thatch only sat at a nearby stump, having decided that his next action would depend on how the situation would go… So he waited, and as expected, the kids noticed him…

"Uhmm, excuse me, mister? But, did you see Lucy _nee-chan_ around?" The boy-leader asked, surprisingly, feeling neither fear nor intimidation…

"Huh? Lucy?" The 4th division commander asked back, not quite sure of whom the other was talking about…

"Yeah, and _chibi _marine_-kun_ should also be somewhere here. We were playing hide-and-seek earlier but they were just gone…" The boy answered sadly. _Wait, chibi marine-kun? Lucy nee-chan?_

"Hey kid, when you said _chibi _ marine, you mean a kida little taller than you in marine uniform, and Lucy, a petite girl in plain white shirt and black pants?" He asked remembering the two _imbeciles_they just met earlier…

"Yeah! That's them! Ne? Ne? Where did they go?" The boy then asked the commander excitedly as the other kids started to gather around, curious of the little conversation…

"Uhmm, well…" _Should I say that the two just flew off somewhere_? Feeling a little uncomfortable of the kids' attention, Thatch backed up a little from their stares… which went on for a short while as a new company arrived by the group…

"Hi, children!" A woman shouted from behind. "What are you doing?"

"It's Okiku _nee-chan_!" the boy-leader shouted as all of them cheered, turned to see the said woman but stayed where they were anyway as the said woman walked towards their direction…

"_Nee-chan_! We were just playing hide-and-seek with everybody earlier… But I think Lucy _nee-chan _and her friend got lost somewhere! We were looking for them all over the playground but we didn't find them. So we asked the man over here and he said he saw them!" I heard the boy-leader rant to the woman, who started to walk up to the group… Then that's when Thatch noticed that the woman had company… _Wait, it's the stupid little marine! _

The children, noticing the same, made a commotion and asked the boy about Lucy… On the other hand, Thatch just quickly stood up from his seat to confront the boy who was still desperately pulling the woman away…

"Okiku-_nee_!Let's just go! Hurry! Call the kids and let's run away from him! That's one of the pirates I was talking about!" The boy said in desperation, but the lady just ignored him, as she continued to walk towards the group…

"Excuse me, mister?" The woman stated curiously…

Thatch, taken aback by the sudden approach, forgot about the chore boy and focused his attention on the woman, "Uhmm, yes?" he answered.

Then she paused and pouted childishly until she answered, "You lost?"

"H-huh?" He stuttered, just caught off guard of the woman's statement…

"Hey you! Get away from us, you freak!" The forgotten chore boy suddenly broke their "conversation". The said boy hid at the side of the woman, holding unto her dress tightly…

"_You… _If it wasn't for you two, I wouldn't have been lost here, you twits!" he finally snarled at him…

"Oh yeah? Looks like the grown-up man got lost on the path of life!" The boy answered with same intensity at the older man, "You stupid or what?"

But before Thatch could answer back, the woman, broke off their bickering… "So you _are _lost! My, my… Looks like Chip_-kun _caused you some trouble…" she said as she worriedly looked at the man, to the young marine, and then paused for a moment… Silence drew in for a few seconds, when the woman suddenly jumped and shouted, startling the others from the sudden reaction…

"I know! Chip _-kun_, why don't you show Mr. Afro around?" She stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?! Why on earth would I do that?!" He protested…

"Because I told you so!" She scolded him, "And please, don't worry about the children. I can manage. Besides, we'll be going out for a bit!" She said with a radiant smile on her face as the kids cheered loudly around.

"But _nee-chan_! You don't understand-" he tried to answer but was cut off when Okiku sat before him and handed him a small bag…

"Take it…" She whispered, "It's Lucy's…"

"Huh?" The chore boy only muttered out of confusion, and watched her as he held on the bag… On the other hand, Okiku then stood up then went in front of the man and held out a hand, "Palm, please?"

Thatch, confused as he was, only did as he was told, even though feeling awkward of the situation. The woman then held the man's hand gently and softly traced the thin lines on its surface with her other hand, her face not hinting any change in emotion…

To reduce the awkwardness he felt, the man asked the other, "Are you a fortune teller?"

"…" She only blinked and looked innocently at him for a moment, and continued what she was doing. For a few seconds, he thought that she wasn't going to respond so he just dropped the subject, until the woman decided otherwise…

"…I guess that's a yes _and_ a no…" She answered after letting go of his hand, in which Thatch only quirked a brow… Seeing that the man wanted further answers, she only pointed the man's chest with her index finger and said with a soft tone, "It's not about luck, it's about the soul…"

Thatch, a little mesmerized of the way she spoke, didn't really comprehend what the woman just said… But again, absurd as it is, the woman paid no heed on his reaction and continued to converse in a soft tone… "And I, for the time being, see no malice in you…" then she looked straight in his eyes… "I trust you…"

Thatch only blinked on her statement. And before Thatch could even react on such attitude, the woman suddenly returned on her eager personality…"So with that said, could you please do me a favour and bring Chip-_kun_ to Lucy?" She pleaded… _cutely…_

"O-okay … I will…" He answered awkwardly…

"Yay!" Satisfied with his answer, Okiku then turned around to grab a squirming Chip's hand and gave (threw) him to Thatch to hold on… "Take care!" She said as she only giggled at the boy.

"Okiku _nee-chan_?! What are you-don't leave me here!"

Okiku then waved goodbyes at the two (while ignoring the protests of Chip), proceeded to gather the kids and went on their way...

"Okiku _nee_! I now know why Lucy _nee-chan _calls you a witch! Because you _are _a WITCH! Don't leave me here!" The chore boy shouted pointlessly, his pleas left unrecognized…

Okiku, already a few blocks away, turned to wave a final goodbye to them, "Say good luck to Lucy for me!" Then she turned around and walked away with the children, her giggles echoing throughout the "mini-forest".

Now left completely alone, Chip thought that it was the end of it… But after a few seconds, to his surprise, the pirate let go of him…

"Sigh… Look, the woman is right, I'm lost so I need someone to guide me around _and _I need to take you to the girl… Sigh, why the hell did I even say yes to that?" He tiredly told the boy… "And you heard her, I won't do anything. I just wanna get back, really… So can we get a move on already?" Thatch asked to the boy beside him, now a little too far away for his liking…

"What, you're really gonna take me to Lucy _nee-chan_?" Chip asked disbelievingly, while the pirate only nodded casually.

The chore boy, seeing that there's no way that he could get away from the pirate alone, came up with his decision… "It's okay but let's first make a deal… as men…" The boy proposed/warned him, "I will go with you and guide you around the area until I find _nee-chan_, but you will then go peacefully, leaving everybody _unharmed_…" he demanded as he walked up to the man and held out a hand at him… The pirate, a little surprised of the boy's actions, went on anyway to shake his hand as he answered back to the younger man…

"Alright… It's a deal…"


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: **_Hello! I got another review! YAY! Hahaha, that just made my day! THANK YOU STRANGER! (I'll try to reply to my reviewers on the next chap, still thinkin how… shishishiI)

And I forgot to put this on the first four chappies but I think I need to put it up somehow (or I'll just edit the summary) though I know it's pretty obvious…

PLEASE READ: **Disclaimer. I don't own One Piece. It is Oda-sensei's grand master piece. I only own the OCs.**

Uhh… I know it's pretty late but… better late than never right? Hahaha lol!_ Now_ I feel like a fanfic writer since I see those lines in fanfics I've read…

OK! All set! Don't forget the reviews! Let's get it on! Chappie 5!

_**CHAPTER 5**_

_When will the unlucky streak end?!_

"KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I shouted loudly as I held onto the scurrying worn-out boat for dear life as it was about to go down in a **hundred-fucking-feet-high** **fall.** "S-SAAVE MEE!"

"Tch. You're really a clumsy one, aren't you, yoi?"

_Wha-?_ I heard someone say behind me. Momentarily distracted by this, I then turned around half-expecting and half-denying that it was the Phoenix… only to see himjump_ into_ the boat I was in.

"N-no, I take it back! Stay awaayyy!" I screamed once again but it was too late. The moment I told him that, he was already standing by my side. I immediately darted away from him and went to the opposite side of the _freakin'_ boat only for the said _freakin' _boat to finally slope down the edge of the fountain…

The _freakin' _boat creaked loudly, as if it was mocking me.

_I really knew that I should've paid for the normal one, because the Bull __**and**__ the boat are freakin' cursed!_

When the boat finally sloped even lower, I lost my balance and was about to fall off until I was held by my "company". He laced an arm around my waist and held me firmly in place while casually maintaining his balance as if it was the simplest thing to do on earth… I didn't have the chance to squirm nor complain because in the following scene…we fell…

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

…

…

*Splash!*Splash!*

_Silence…_

The moment the surroundings had become quiet, my eyes were still closed as my heart didn't stop its hard pounding against my chest. I was still standing at the boat which seemed to have withstood the impact…

_Eh? I'm… I'm alive?_

Feeling no threat to life was around, I opened my eyes.It seemed I landed safely at the fountain's base. _Huh? Why do I feel… warm? _Thinking that the sensation was strange, I peeked at my side to find its source…

(Uhmm, wait. Let me rephrase the previous sentence. It seemed _**we**_landed safely at the fountain's base. )

"You alright, yoi?" _Of all persons on this damn world, why'd it had to be __**him**__?!_

When he spoke, my head snapped at him. He was still holding me by my waist making our positions… _too close_ for my liking… Actually, the standard distance for this kind of person should be A HUNDRED FUCKING MILES AWAY FROM ME! So, as jumpy as I was and with the aid of my uncontrollable reflexes, I did the most heroic thing known to mankind… well, to marines at least…

_I smacked him…_

"L-LET GO OF ME!"

*Smack!*

I punched him straight to his face, catching him off guard, with a greater force than intended. He then, at least, let go of me after the impact and was _minutely _taken aback from it, then caressed his aching cheek with his hand…

"O-ow! That hurt, yoi!" He shouted at me then paused the moment after. "Wait, you… You can use _haki_?"

**Shit. **I slipped up. I shouldn't have used power on that one.

"U-uhhmm… A little?" I sheepishly answered back.

"CHORE GIRL LUCY! JUST WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING! I SAID COME OVER HERE!" I heard the captain shout somewhere so I immediately looked for the voice's source, but before I could look for the said captain, the boat moved… to the large mainstream... that rushes all the way down the city…

My head snapped to my unwanted company and found out that _he_ justmaneuvered the boat to river "Styx" … _**How nice of him…**_

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"KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Smoker heard a scream from atop the fountain. "S-SAAVE MEE!"

"Just what is that girl doing?" Smoker murmured to himself for the nth time that day. Sick of waiting for the chore girl and at the same time a little worried, the higher ranking officer was about to climb the fountain to go to where he last saw the said chore girl until…

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He heard Lucy's shout travel from the sky down the ground.

"W-what is going on?!" The captain shouted as he rushed to look for the source of the commotion. After a few moments of running, he finally saw who he was looking for. The girl was in a boat safely floating by the base of the fountain. She seems fine. *invisible sigh*

"CHORE GIRL LUCY! JUST WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING! I SAID COME OVER HERE!" The captain again shouted at the girl, his anger rushing back. The girl, instead of moving closer to him only went further away as the boat scurried at the opposite direction… and that's when the captain realized that the girl was not alone… With the girl is a man he never expected to see…

"That man… Why… Why's Marco the Phoenix with her?!"

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"That would be 2000 belli." The woman at the stand told the boy. The said boy then only looked blandly at the man beside him. Said man only looked back with the same attitude…

"What?" The man said...

"You don't expect me to pay your tab, do you?" The child replied to the man, who only sighed in exasperation.

"Alright… I'm payin'…"

~A MINUTE OR SO LATER~

"Hey kid! Do we really need to ride this thing?" Thatch asked Chip as they quietly travelled, riding a boat pulled by a _Yagara Bull_, along a water way. The commander took off the hood of the plain cloak he wore to hide his appearance as there were only the two of them at the moment. "Marco and I roamed the city by foot…"

"It would be easier this way. Plus, we just noticed that a larger-than-normal number of marines were roaming around earlier, didn't we? Would be better to travel like this…" He continued, eyes only focused on finding the right path along different alleys around them.

"Now that you talk about it, why are there marines all over the place? We didn't notice them this morning." The commander asked curiously…

"How the hell would I know? I'm just a _kid _aren't I?" The young marine annoyingly answered. The man didn't bother to reply. They just then travelled in silence.

The atmosphere was still for a few moments when the kid spoke up again. "We're near the main water way. Get ready. From this point, you're on your own."

"Eh? Wait. On my own? To that large stream going down?" The pirate asked his company.

"Didn't you tell me you need to get to Dock 7? It's actually next to Dock 1, you just need to take the main waterway separating the two docks, go down through it then that's that. You'll be there in no time…" The little marine told the other, not bothering to look at him.

"What? You're gonna take off and let me go there directly? No, I refuse. I need to take you first to the girl before I go there." The man argued.

"What? No, I can go on my own! And you will go back to your crew and get the hell outta this island, fast!" The child angrily answered back now turning to his _acquaintance._ "I'm not that brainless to go astray by myself… unlike _someone_…"

"What!? I did _not_ go astray and I am _not _brainless!" The man again argued.

"What? I didn't tell that it was _you_ I was talking about… You guilty?" the kid smirked at him.

"No I am not! I'm just bein' nice here you brat!"

They continued they're nonsensical bickering until it was intervened by a scream familiar to their ears… It was Lucy…

"KYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The two, in an instant, looked ahead to catch a glimpse of something they didn't expect to see at all…

Rushing down the mainstream at full speed is Lucy, riding a small worn-out boat…with Marco? And on their backs was a group of marines lead by a superior riding a boat pulled by a Yagara Bull, chasing them with equal speed.

"Th-that's Marco! And the girl!" Thatch shouted.

"A-and that's Captain Smoker!" The small marine followed.

_Just what is goin' on? Was the cover blown? I haven't even warned the others about Garp and the marines… Tsk_

"Hey kid, we're goin' too…" Thatch said and without warning, maneuvered the boat over the mainstream…

"Eh? EEEHHHHH?!"

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"STOP-STOP-STOP! TOO FAST! WE'RE GOIN' TOO FAST!" Lucy shouted as she firmly held on the worn-out boat she was in. "WE WON'T MAKE IT! THIS FREAKIN' BOAT WON'T MAKE IT!"

"Could you please stop shouting for a while, yoi?" The Phoenix said boredly. "Your voice already rings in my head…"

The commander was calmly looking ahead the stream until he noticed someone was on their tracks.

"Chore girl Lucy! Just what is the meaning of this?!"

Smoker was following them with equal speed, followed by some subordinates hardly keeping up with the superior, riding a boat pulled by a _Yagara Bull_. "What the hell are you doing with a pirate? Not to say, with a Whitebeard pirate commander?!" The captain followed while looking at the said pirate, who only smirked back.

"C-Captain Smoker!" The chore girl called out. "S-save m-"

"Lucy _nee-chan_!" The chore girl was cut-off when a new voice entered the conversation. "Are you alright?!"

"Ch-chip!? What are you doing here?" She asked and was surprised to see that the small marine was in an almost the same situation she was in. The kid was also riding a boat along with a pirate. She then mimicked the captain's reaction earlier. "What the hell are you doing with a pirate?! Not to say, with a Whitebeard pirate commander?!" S_o this is what the captain feels when we're in trouble… *__**insert sympathy theme here**__*_

"Wh-what?" The captain then looked on his back to see what the chore girl was talking about. His anger took its very peak when he figured it out, "YOU TOO?! Why the hell do the two of you always get into these kinds of trouble?!" The captain shouted angrily as he looked on the other commander who, like his _nakama_, only smirked back at him.

"There are now two Whitebeard commanders just in front of us! Sink them down!" One marine frantically shouted at the back and aimed a bazooka at the pirates.

_Eh? _

"Wait! We're still heerree!" Lucy panicked as she waved her hands at the other marines as Chip did the same. They both tried to catch their attention to stop them but the marines were still aiming at the pirates and were ready to shoot until…

"Stop it! Are you blind?! Our comrade was taken!" A different voice rang among the lower ranking marines. It belonged to a female.

"T-tashigi-_chan_!" Lucy cried out loud when she saw the fellow girl stand before the marines, lifting her hand signalling that none of them were to initiate an attack.

"B-but what are we going to do?!" The marine asked back, giving up the attempts of sinking down the pirates.

"Isn't it decided already?! We'll be first assuring their safety. It is only after we have taken them back that we are to charge at the pirates!" The female marine answered back and looked at Lucy and Chip, then finally at his superior for orders. "Captain Smoker."

The captain, now facing a "double dilemma" thought deeply of his next move with the same thinking as the female marine. _I first need to take the two outta here…_

"Stand back!" The captain finally ordered and the others complied.

_First, the chore girl…_

The captain moved his boat closer to the side of his target, and stood up firmly, taking up a fighting stance but keeping his balance all the same.

"You gonna do it here, yoi?" The Phoenix mocked/asked the captain, while he only turned to face him, still standing on the worn-out boat casually.

Moments of anticipation came. The atmosphere thickened. The three skilled fighters, namely Marco, Smoker and Thatch, along with the marines were focused on what was going to happen, while the _other_ two, namely Chip and Lucy were busy doing… _something else_… on their own little world. Chip and Lucy looked at each other…

_**No matter what happens, we need to get out of this, fast!**_

_**ALL RIGHT!**_

Chip, determined as he was, drove the boat on the other side of Lucy's boat. Now that the three were lined-up, Lucy's boat at the middle of the other two boats, the two lower ranking marines proceeded on what they hoped for the right actions.

"Eh?" Thatch said when he noticed what the kid was trying to do and blinked when he saw the girl stretch out a hand to the kid, her torso leaning out the boat to reach further. "Oi, oi! That's dangerous!"

But the two, despite the pirate's warning, proceeded in what they were doing. The kid, without a second thought, reached further following the girl's example and grabbed her hand firmly with both hands the moment it was close enough. "Got it!"

When the girl was sure that the kid firmly held on her, she pulled the kid and put him on her boat. She felt relief when she saw that her ten-year old companion was fine. The boat then creaked loudly.

"White Blow!" On the other side, Smoker suddenly attacked Marco, his arm turning into smoke and fist charging at the pirate with full speed. Marco, skilled as he was, managed to evade such attack and leaped back to Thatch's boat. Unknowingly to him, said action was not only to attack the pirate, as the captain's hand reached down for the chore girl, who now held on the chore boy, and pulled the two on his boat just in time when Lucy's boat chose to break down to pieces that moment.

The two lower ranking marines landed with a "bump" on their captain's boat, feeling utmost relief that they are now with their superior. "W-we're saved…" The two whispered in unison.

"Now's our chance! Fire!" Tashigi shouted and lead the group to initiate the attack against the pirates who were now isolated from the rest of the marines, including Lucy and Chip who were now safe and sound in Smoker's boat.

"Chore girl Lucy." The captain started "Drive the boat to Dock 7 as fast as you can. We'll buy you some time." He ordered.

"Eh? Why?" The chore girl asked.

"We can't take these commanders on like this. They surely have their crew somewhere. We need reinforcements. Report this to Vice Admiral Garp." The captain sternly replied, turned around to face the two pirates, half of his body turning into smoke and flew towards the other group, whose boats are now a meters behind after a few moments of combat.

"W-Wait! I don't want to- WHY DO YOU THINK I TOOK THE EFFORT TO CALL YOU OUT HERE?!" Lucy shouted but the captain was already far away from them, turning a deaf ear to her pleas, and charged into the battle.

_What to do? What do I do now?_

Lucy deadpanned as their boat rushed farther from the others every moment. Her mind was going blank, not only because of the "external" battle that was going on about, but also because of the "internal" battle she was going through with herself… It was only after her little companion speaking up that she came back to her senses…

"_N-nee-chan_… D-did Captain Smoker said that V-vice Admiral Garp is in Dock 7?"

"Y-yeah. I guess he did…" Lucy answered quietly, still gazing at the occurring fight slowly fading away at the growing distance.

"B-but _nee-chan_, according to Thatch, their crew is _in _Dock 7… So maybe…"

Lucy slowly turned around to the boy as she thoroughly and carefully processed what the boy just inferred.

_Don't tell me that Whitebeard himself __**and**__ Vice Admiral Garp are just in the same area…?_

"Eh…?"

_(END OF CHAPPIE 5)_


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: **_Hey, before anything, sorry for the typos! I just reread all the chappies and noticed that my document wasn't uploaded as I wanted it to be… some parts were omitted and ya'know, spacing etc... So sorry! I'll fix'em soon! _But the grammar's a different thing, it can't be fixed soon._ ;p

Okay, as promised, I'll reply to you, my dear reviewers!

XxFire-PhoenixxX: Hey, thanks for reviewing! Well, I couldn't help it! Haha, it's just that his smile, especially when it's illuminated by the blue flames, gives off this creepy aura… I shudder every time I try to imagine it… brrrrrr…. Hahahaha! (It's a good thing I noticed the change in your pen name before posting…) thanks again!

Alice: Hmm… I'm not really sure on how you define "strong" but one thing's for sure… She's not a total weakling… uh, I hope you're satisfied with my answer? Haha lolzz… Let's see if our thinking is on the same terms… Thank you so much for the review!

Savage Kill: I think it's safe for me to say that she does not have a devil fruit ability… but I won't/can't tell if she will have one in the future… (Still considering the development of my plot, hihihi)… And keep on guessing! Haha of course I won't tell if your guesses are right but it kinda encourages me to write more knowing that people like you take the time to read my story… so thanks!

And lastly, to all my dear readers, I want to thank you all! ;)

**EVERYONE! Let's support Lucy 'til the end, shall we? :) **

I'll be posting again after my studies, which will be in a while? So please be patient ne? I'll do my best!

Let's get this party started!

_**CHAPTER 6**_

*Boom!*Splash*Boom!*

"Tch… They're so persistent! How did you even get that crowd?!" Thatch shouted through the commotion as he tried his best to maneuver the boat to evade the attacks of the pirates.

*Boom!*Splash*Boom!*

Marco flew for a few meters and turned into blue flames to strike a shot away from them, then landed safely back on the boat, his back turned on his _nakama_. "Sorry, my bad. I didn't have a choice…"

*Boom!*Splash*Boom!*

"You didn't have a choice?" Thatch asked incredulously after taking a peek at the other man. He waited for a more definite answer, but none came. "Sigh… I get it. So, what do we do now? I haven't warned the others about this…"

"Then let's warn 'em…" Marco said confidently, as Thatch only quirked a brow…

*Boom!*Splash*Boom!*

The boat quickly swayed again at the side to avoid the marine's shots. "…after we lost this bunch! Let's go, yoi!"

"_Now_ you're talkin'!" Thatch smirked as he drove the boat even faster. Now determined to get away with their suitors, they continued the pattern of evading the enemies' attacks, but increasing their pace. They were increasing the distance between them and the marines until they heard a battle cry coming close to them.

"URYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Charging in front of them at full speed is none other than the superior of the marines. It was Captain Smoker who was ready to strike them with his jutte. Marco, getting ready for the impact, changed into his hybrid form and flew just in time to guard the captain's attack with his leg, only for him to feel drained just by the weapon's touch.

"W-hat? K-kairoseki?" The Phoenix murmured which didn't escape the captain's ears.

"Heh, nice stuff isn't it?" The captain mocked back.

Marco, a little unnerved by the captain's confidence, gathered enough strength to kick back through the captain's weapon. Smoker was taken away by the strong force from the kick, but landed safely all the same beside his female subordinate. He then stood firmly and looked straight at the pirates.

"Don't ever think you could get away from us that easily!" He warned them, and as soon as those words left his mouth, marines started to scatter in each direction.

"In our honor as marines, we will be arresting you, 4th division commander, Thatch and 1st division commander, Marco the Phoenix!"

_Tch._

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When Chip told me that the rest of the Whitebeard pirates are _most probably _situated near Dock 7, I immediately took over driving the boat to forcibly take a detour, then stopped on one alley to formulate my next move.

"_Nee-chan_? What are you planning?" The small marine asked me.

"Planning? Well…"

~AFTER EXPLAINING HER PLAN~

"What?! You're gonna sneak in by yourself?!" The kid started as we stayed in a lone water alley, "But _nee-chan! _I don't thi-"

"Hey, hey… Why the worry, kid?" I softly said as I looked into his eyes. "You know I can do thi-"

"No you can't! There has to be another way, Lucy-_nee_!" The boy cut me off.

"But Chip, we race against time here. It's the only way to-"

"But _nee-chan_!" He argued, his eyes starting to water. "It's too dangerous!"

Taken aback by such behaviour, I paused for a while and focused on his eyes. Tears were threatening to fall from it. It looks like… he's worried about me. _I don't really understand. We've only been together, for what, a month? But for that short while, going through many things with him, it seems like he has become attached to me… in the same way that…_ _**I have become attached to him**_**…**

I smiled softly…

"Come on, you know that I'm a reaaaally sneaky one right? You even sue me 'coz of it. Besides, I just need to investigate somethin' and take on a message and that's that, I'll be back…" I reassured…

"But it's a crowd of pirates… the strongest ones even… just a slip and you'll-" He argued.

"Then I won't slip." I sternly replied.

"What if they find you, they would-"

"They won't find me."

"What if you won't make it to-"

"I'll definitely make it."

The kid paused for a moment, and lowered his head. He was silent for a few moments and didn't bother to reply to me, so I got off the boat and readied myself, until he decided to speak again.

"All my life, all I could think of is being a marine, as I understood why… I understood why marines threw their lives for the sake of _justice_. Why _my _parents threw their lives for it…" He started, and I blinked on his seriousness. "But _nee-chan_, you're not a marine right? So why do you-"

"But I play the role, right?" I replied to him as I turned around once again… "Whatever is my true status, I play the role of a marine… so I don't need any other reason to do it…" I said as I slowly walked away… He did not protest this time so I continued to leave. After a few more steps, I paused for the last time, faced him and made a final sluggish salute…

"Just followin' the captain's orders…"

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"Iceburg-_san_!Iceburg-_san_!" One man was frantically running towards the most important/known person in Water Seven, who just came out of an establishment. "There are marines causing a commotion. I believe they were chasing a couple of pirates, and it's ruining nearby structures along the city!"

Even though that he was stunned by the sudden announcement, he tried to keep his composure, "Where are they now?" The mayor of the city replied.

"It seems they are now halfway down the mainstream between Dock 7 and Dock 1. They are now disturbing the residents around and have destroyed establishments across the water way!"

"Nmaa… It can't be helped. For now get help and warn everyone around the area, including those situated in both Docks 1 and 7. I'll go and check on the situation. We can't really do anything yet at the moment until we clearly see what is going on." The mayor stated.

"Yes sir!" Was the man's only reply as he quickly turned and did what he was told. Iceburg, on the other hand, was quite worried of the sudden report. It came to his knowledge that marines were roaming around the city, but didn't do anything about it at the moment as they said it was for patrolling purposes only. Now that a commotion had finally occurred, he couldn't let matters go unchecked anymore. He had to do something about it. It is his responsibility.

The mayor, who is also the president of Galley-La Company, started to go on his way to the place of said commotion only to be intervened by an unknown individual…

"Are you sure that they're the only ones to be warned?" A woman in pink dress asked him suddenly out of the blue. Iceburg was taken aback by the sudden presence of the said woman, who seemed to be not alone. Following the said woman were a number of small children…

Even though he was going for an urgent matter, he paused and spared the woman a few moments…

"Nmmaa… I'm afraid I don't understand…" Iceburg replied. The woman, unexpectedly, giggled at him…

"You've got no time to spare right? So let me tell this straight…" The unknown woman stated as she held out a Tarot Card, its back facing the man.

"Mayor-_san… _I'm sorry to tell you but… seems like _it _will be coming earlier this year…" The woman told him. But contrary to her statement, the woman only smiled wider.

The mayor, still confused by the woman, finally asked to clarify his suspicions. "_It_? You mean…"

The woman then flashed the cutest of all smiles as she turned the card at the man, only to show him the image of… _**Death…**_

"What I mean is… the _Aqua Laguna…_"

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Going back to the occurring fight between the marines and the pirates, it seemed that even though it was just two pirates against a group of marines, it cannot be easily won over by the latter.

"URRAAHH!" Smoker, once again, tried to attack the Phoenix with his jutte but to no avail. The pirate seemed to have seen through all his attacks after only a short while of combat.

_Tch. I guess they weren't labeled for nothing. I could barely hold myself against this one. _

"What happened to the previous confidence, yoi?" The Phoenix mocked the captain after a few moments of encounter, for which the marine only growled in frustration. The pirate then flew back to his _nakama._

"Are we there yet, yoi?" The Phoenix asked the fellow pirate.

"We're almost there, we can take a turn in any moment." Thatch said calmly.

"Heh, I guess it's about time, yoi!" The Phoenix stated, then flewtowards a bridge across the mainstream, and waited for his comrade to pass through it. He waited for a few seconds until the marines were close enough, and struck the bridge with full force, using it like an artillery to take down most of the enemy boats.

*Crash!*Splash!*Crash!*Splash!*

Large broken pieces of the bridge flew towards several boats of the marines, sinking them in the process, and blocking the remaining marines that weren't hit by the attack.

"Sorry, but we'll have to split up here! See 'ya later, yoi!" The Phoenix finally said at the bombarded marines who were now helping each other from drowning, and finally looked at the captain who seemed to have avoided his attack. Blocked by the debris, he seemed to have no plans of pursuing them further. So without another word, he flew away from the group.

"Captain Smoker. Aren't we going after them?" Tashigi asked from behind him.

"No, we just bought some time for the chore girl. Before charging here, I left her with my boat and told her to go straight to Dock 7. She's probably there now and has reported this to Vice Admiral Garp." The captain replied. "For now, let's first get the troop out of here. We'll follow through by land. "

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When I reached Dock 7, I expected that a battle was already going on right now, thinking that marines and pirates were situated in one location. But what I found was in complete contrary to what I thought. There, I only found one large establishment divided into two, a hospital and… a donut shop? _(Uhmm, why the hell? Do donut eaters get injured? Or patients love donuts?)_ There were only few civilians around and some shipwrights along the Dock. But there were neither big marine ships norbig pirate ships to be seen, only some fishing vessels…

_Well, maybe, there was a complete misunderstanding of the situation…? I hope so, 'coz that would be a RELIEF…_

*YAAAWWWNNN*

I suddenly heard someone behind me. It was an old man, and according on his attire, with the all-white outfit and the medical thing on his neck, I believe that he's a doctor. He was stretching his worn out limbs while looking at the seas…

"Che, seriously… I didn't expect that I'd see people like those nowadays…" The old man murmured, as I only quirked a brow at the statement.

"It doesn't matter if you're the strongest man in the world! Of course you'll get worse if you don't take your medication! And that other crazy guy, tsk, eating donuts for five days nonstop?! He must be out of his mind! Of course you'll get sick!_ Bastards_…" He cursed to himself…

_So donut eaters get injured! Hehe, my guess was right…_

…

_Uhmm… wait…_

…

_Let's reread the doctor's statement…_

…

_Strongest man? _

…

_Crazy guy? _

…

_Please tell me I'm wrong…_

…

"Uhm… excuse me mister, but you don't happen to know the names of who you were talking about just now?" I sheepishly asked the old doctor, who took a bite on the apple at hand…

"Hmm? Why *munch* do *munch* you *munch* want *munch* to *munch* know?" He said to me blandly, for which I was a little annoyed at… _(come on, who wouldn't?) _But as a good 'lil girl that I should be, I forced a smile at the old man and politely answered his question, "You see, I was just looking for an acquaintance, and your…_ description_… kinda suited him…"

Before replying, he finally ate the rest of the apple with a loud gulp and looked back at me. "Hmm.. Yeahh, uhhh… Actually, I don't really remember… Why don't you come with me and check them over inside…" He replied plainly before gesturing me to follow… I simply agreed…

When we walked inside, I was surprised to see that despite of the large size of the said hospital, there were no other people present at the main room aside from the two of us…

"Sorry, but to find who you were looking for, you'll have to look at each room. I don't keep a list of the names but only remember them by room and their cases. So, if there's no one in the room, then there's no patient in there…" He told me while pointing at the hallway. He then turned to leave, but I stopped him from doing so.

"You don't keep a list for your patients?" I curiously asked.

The old man then paused to think, then decided to answer my question first before leaving, "It's just a bother. Besides, I'm the only one workin' here so as long as it's convenient for me, it's fine…" He replied, then walked away…

_He's working alone? On this large hospital? Moreover, he's able to work just by remembering such details? He may be an annoying old man but, well, he's pretty amazing… He just got my respect…_

I was dazed for a moment but immediately snapped back to reality.

_Wait, I didn't ask for Garp's room!_

When I looked around, he was already gone. I hurried outside to where I first saw him but he was nowhere to be seen. I contemplated on searching for him further… But it was not the time to be looking for an apple-eating old man… Time is of the essence…

_I've got a "mission"…_

Looking at the direction where the old man pointed me earlier, I started to walk there slowly and carefully to not make any sound. Even though that I'm completely disguised now, (getting rid of that stupid/cursed marine cap before reaching Dock 7) I felt super nervous, my anxiety progressively growing every moment as I took every step on the large hallway…

There were no other people on the hallway and not even a beat could be heard, which just increased the feeling of anxiety. I continued my pace as I turned my head from time to time in order to… well… to look if there's already someone_ behind_ me…

_Damn creepy Phoenix! How on earth does he bother me when he's not even here? Tch._

Then I finally reached the first door. I gulped. If you really look at it, it was as if I was gambling, for which my life's on the line. On the brightest side, I could open it and see Vice Admiral Garp firsthand (well not the brightest 'coz I don't wanna see him)… but, on the darkest extreme, it could be Whitebeard himself… the man who possesses the power to destroy the world…

***shudders***

_I honestly don't even wanna see/talk/meet/hear/have anything to do with that man… in my entire life!_

But clinging on the fact that I'm not a known marine, and I'm not even wearing a single detail that proves I'm one, I slowly turned the knob, carefully opened the door by an inch and peeked inside to see something I haven't even thought of at the moment…

…It was the most incredible scene I witnessed in my life…

_It was a family…_

My eyes widened from astonishment. There, I saw a mother laid peacefully at her bed, holding her tiny baby covered in pure white cloth. Her husband was sitting close to her side, caressing her hair gently. Both were smiling as they looked happily at their little angel. The wind was gently blowing the calm blue curtain from the open window, making the moment even more serene while the light of the sun was slightly covering them, making the moment even warmer than it already is… There was nothing to be seen but happiness… _It was perfect…_

I was enjoying the moment in front of me, when all of a sudden… _it_ came back.

I immediately withdrew from the door and hid by the walls of the hallway… I tightly closed my eyes and clenched my fist close to my chest as I tried to compress the growing remorse I felt as memories of something I didn't want to keep all reverted back…

_The memories of that ill-fated day…_

_(END OF CHAPPIE 6)_


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: **_Hello again! It's nice being able to write again folks!

BTW, to **Savage Kill**, thanks for pointing out the line breakers, your reviews are suuuppeerrr appreciated! but actually, now, as in now, I'm really having difficulty around them... so I think I'll edit some other time if I had the time... I used horizontal rules in the docx document I uploaded, but it wasn't read when I made a preview... :(

But let's be happy! hahaha, it's just a minor issue, right! ;)

Change topic: I'll update my profile, this fic's summary and the previous chappies if I have extra time… (which I don't know if it will ever come)

Okay, let's end the author's note here 'coz I have nothing else to say? Err write? Hahaha!

Review please! ;) I need to be recharged!

Yosh! Chappie 7 up!

_**CHAPTER 7**_

"_Aqua Laguna_?" The mayor asked again to his company.

"Yes, the _Aqua Laguna_…" The woman repeated. The man then paused for a moment before replying.

"Nmaa… Sorry miss, but I have no time for nonsense. The city is in need of me now… Excuse me…" Iceburg answered back seriously. He then proceeded to walk past the girl when the latter spoke again in a more serious tone, in complete contrary to her previous cheery one…

"That is the _point_ here, mayor-_san_. The city_ needs_ you." The girl replied in a warning tone. "The _whole _city, that is."

The man, even though he already said that what the girl just implied was nonsense, couldn't take away the uneasy feeling it brought to him, so he stopped on his tracks to face the other once again. The girl was looking back at him, eyes now full of determination and intensity. He was taken aback.

"In the next 20 minutes, the water levels will start to drastically change. Take it as a cue that the wave will soon have an impact." The girl stated seriously then quickly turned around. Iceburg, surprised of the sudden movement, motioned to follow the girl and was about to ask her elaborate her statement further when the girl decided to stop and face him once again, but now regaining her cheery attitude and smiling back at him. "And be careful mayor-_san_! It'll be ONE BIG WAVE!" Then the girl just ran away, the children in tow hand-in-hand, and in just a matter of seconds, the woman was already lost in the crowd.

The man, now left alone at the entrance of some establishment, first thought deeply of his actions. Every decision that he'd choose would have a serious impact on his constituents. It had to be based on some facts, weighing the pros and cons. On one hand, ordering the majority of the residents to evacuate their premises out of a forecast from a stranger would mean just panic and disturbance. It would be nonsensical. But considering the woman's statement, _if _it was true, ordering an immediate evacuation would surely be effective, especially because _if _the _Aqua Laguna _was to come at an earlier time, the residents would surely be unsuspecting of danger. They would be unprepared. Warning them _**now **_would surely save their lives.

But nevertheless, Iceburg started to walk on the direction to Dock 7, where a fight between pirates and marines was supposed to be going on. He decided to get the woman's statement out of his head. The said annual disaster was supposed to be occurring for at least another two to three months. Even though its intensity gets tougher each year, it still came the time they expected it to. It would be unreasonable to say that out of the blue, it'll just take place earlier without any reliable basis.

But still, no one could really exactly point out how the nature behaves. That's why the stranger's statement still haunted him…

**The city**_** needs**_** you…**

_Tsk, isn't there some way to know?_

As if his question was answered, the skies were suddenly engulfed with dark clouds. The wind blew fiercely just like how the seas changed its pace. From small, friendly ones, the waves abruptly became violent, harshly striking the island's shores.

_This atmosphere… It can't be… how? How did a single woman predict this kind of catastrophe?_

Preventing himself to panic, he reentered the establishment he just came out of and hurried to the counter near the door.

"I need a Den Den Mushi, **now**."

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Chip was idly and nervously sitting by the boat he was in. He hadn't moved from the time Lucy left him on that same spot.

_I know that all Lucy nee-chan told me to do was to wait here until she returns but… THIS IS SO HARD! _

Trying to dampen his anxiety, he jumped off the boat and walked by the platform where the boat was parked. He marched back and forth quickly, arms crossed over his chest.

_What to do? What do I do now?_

And as if the _Yagara Bull_, could understand, the boy voiced out his thoughts on the animal. "What to do? What do I do now?" But as expected, the animal's response was just to yawn and to wiggle its head for a bit. A little frustrated, the boy paused and took deep breaths.

_No, I don't have to panic. It's Lucy nee-chan we're talking about here. I just have to wait for her here. Besides, she always told me that "haste makes waste, like slippin' up an exam that should've been aced"… But I shouldn't just sit out here doing nothing. I should think of something that I __**can do**__ to help at the moment…_

He then contemplated for a second, taking a stop on his marching to focus his mind in thinking. And finally, a few moments later, something came to mind.

"Lucy _ nee-chan's_ bag! That's it! There has to be something I can find in there. Besides, what if Lucy-_nee _needs her things? I can at least ready it for her, right?" The boy stated excitedly as he went back at the boat he was in, minutes ago.

"Eh? Wait… Eh? Not here… It's not here… It's…" He mumbled as he frantically looked at every nook of the small boat. But even if he looked over for so many times, not a shadow of the item could be seen. That's when he realized it. He realized that he was already riding a different vessel, different from where he set down the said article…

"Noooo! I LEFT IT ON THE OTHER BOAT!"

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"Let's split up here, I'll go straight to Pops while you go to the ship and warn the others." Marco said to Thatch just as they stopped over some isolated area near Dock 7. They were able to get away from the marines easily and lost the group from their tracks. "I'll contact you somehow after I've looked at the situation, yoi."

"Fine with me." Thatch answered seriously. Now finally settled, the two then jumped out of the boat and left when something caught the 4th division commander's attention. "Eh? What's this?"

Thatch went closer to the object of attention in order to inspect it further. Inside the boat was a plain blue bag with a single strap on it, closed with a single button. He didn't remember bringing such nor paying for it on the way, so curious as he was, he took it. It was quite bulky, but still light all the same. He then tried to recall where he got the article on his boat. "If I remember correctly…"

_This was the bag given by the strange girl to the kid!_

"Hey Thatch! Let's go, yoi!" Marco turned and said to his _nakama _when he noticed that the latter was already left behind. Thatch, seeing that time is running out already, quickly decided to just take the bag with him. He wore it over his body.

"What's that yoi?" The Phoenix asked when the other finally caught up with him, noticing the addition to his apparel.

"Nothing. Let's go." Thatch replied. The other didn't push his question further and just dropped the subject. Besides, there were other more important matters to handle first.

_It wouldn't hurt if I bring this thing with me, would it?_

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"_Lucy? Do you like the sea?" _

"_Eh? Hmmm… No!"_

"_Hm? Why's that?"_

"_Because… I don't know how to swim!"_

"_Hmm… Is that the only reason? What if I taught you and you learned how to swim, would you still hate the sea?"_

"_Hmmm… I think… I will not hate it…"_

"_Is that so? Then I'd be very glad…"_

"_Eh? Why…?"_

"_Because I love the sea… It created my destiny…"_

"…_.Des... ti… ny?"_

"_That's right. Do you know about the messages in bottles casted out at sea? It is the sea itself that delivers the message to the recipient…"_

"_But not everyone gets the message, right?"_

"_Yes, that's true… And that's what destiny is…"_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_You see Lucy, when we cast out a bottle at the open seas, we can no longer control where it will go… Will it be lost? Broken? Or will someone else retrieve it? We can only hope it is on safe terms, which can also be regarded to be the same with destiny… Just like how the messages in the bottles get sent somewhere in this world, destiny decides on how our life goes… Who will we meet? Where will we go? How do we live our lives?"_

"_So that's what destiny is… Then how did the sea create your destiny?"_

"_Try to guess…"_

"_Don't tell me… you sent a message in a bottle?!"_

"_Hehe, that's right!"_

"_That's amazing! What did you write? Did it reach someone? Please tell me more about it, and I want to make one too, Okaa-chan!"_

**Why do I…**

"_Otoo-chan… Your face is pale…"_

"_Is that so? Sorry Lucy, it looks like Otoo-chan forgot to take his medicine…"_

"_But you just took one from the man wearing a white coat, right?"_

"_That's right… But you see, Otoo-chan is getting another medicine so we can go home sooner, you want that don't you?_

"_Yes… but…"_

"_Don't worry, Lucy. Everything's fine. We will be able to go home soon…"_

…**Remember these things…**

"_Quick, Lucy! Run! Run as fast as you can!"_

"_But Okaa-chan! How about you?"_

"_I'll be right behind you dear! Go ahead of me! I'll be following!"_

"_But I don't want to leave you!"_

"_You have to."_

"_But-"_

"_I want you to go ahead of me… and get help."_

**Now…?**

_*Sob*Sob*Sob*_

"_Marine-san…? Marine-san…?"_

_*Sob*Sob*Sob*_

_We need… _

_*Sob*Sob*Sob*_

_**help…**_

…

…

…

"**WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"**

_Wha- _I was taken back to reality by a loud voice of… a dog?

"**WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"**

"Whoah!" I shouted when I just realized that the blasted animal was _exhaling _straight to my face! He was sittin' up face-to-face to me. It seems like I sat idly for some time at the hallway…

"**WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"**

"Oh, would you stop it! It's annoying!" I snarled as I glared at it as it only looked back at me innocently (_remind you of someone?_) while it wiggled its tail excitedly. _Ugh._ Haven't I told you that the third spot on my _most annoying things in the world_list (which I just recently updated) are noisy **dogs. **The second ones of which are troublesome **children**, and the one to top my list is… (Drumrolls please)

The freakin' **Phoenix**! (this one was only added a few hours ago)

So congratulations to our winners! Each of you just earned a one year supply of _hatred_, 100 boxes of _detestation _and a cup of _displeasure, _from yours truly.

"Hm…?"

I blinked when I realized it had become quiet again. It's weird but… the animal actually stopped. A little curious, I took this time to look at the animal and inspect its details. It's pretty small compared to an average dog if you ask me, and its plain white fur goes throughout its cuddly body up to its long tail. Everything seems average, until you see its face. I had to stop myself from frowning because _it_ doesn't really suit an animal. Plastered on his face is a really… _weird_… mustache… that resembles that of…

*Gulp*

_Whitebeard's…_

U-uhhmm… I've read some files about the Whitebeard Pirates but… did they have a dog again? Or this is just one of the new species of animals emerging because of some complicated genetic mutation. Ya' know, like when some animal ate or took something weird or they just changed their form through evolution to adapt to their environment…

But still… a _mustache_?

**I must be crazy. **

"Hm? Wait… This is a hospital… How'd an animal like you get in?" I asked the animal while in deep thought, but still refrained from touching him all the same.

"Stefan! There you are!"

_Huh? Stefan? _I heard someone shout from afar. I instantly turned my head to the source of the voice. I think it was a kid… in a weird outfit? _First a dog, then a kid? If this goes on, I bet I'll finally see some flying llamas before the day ends. _

I stood up straight from my seat as I saw him_ (uhmm, I assume that he was a "he"?)_ run towards my direction, his green tops going along with his movement. His outfit had ruffles on the neck as well as on the hems on his wrist which, at least I think, matched the white tights he wore. When he was close enough, I looked at his short brown hair and finally to his clear blue eyes. He came to a halt a few feet away and looked at me, then to the dog, then back to me.

…_Hmm… Wait, I think this fellow is kinda familiar to me? Okay Lucy, try to remember. Close your eyes… Relax and recall everything… The place, the time… the aura… That's right… Don't falter… Look straight into the white light…_

_Wait… This has become some type of hypnotherapy… _

_**Please! Someone, help me! I've really gone into the world of insanity!**_

"Excuse me, _nee-chan_? But he's our dog." The kid said to me.

"Uhm, oh yeah. Of course, you can take him." I said as I gestured him to the animal. "But I believe that animals aren't allowed in hospitals?"

"Eh? Uhh… Well… about that…" He said as he averted his eyes from me. I think he is formulating some kind of excuse that of course, I wouldn't care so much about. But I still waited for his response anyways.

As he took his time scratching the back of his head while thinking, somethin' clicked on me… I finally remembered who this kid was… _And I __**can't believe**__ I just met three of 'em in a row_…

_This kid in front of me is one of the Whitebeard commanders… 12__th__ division commander, Haruta. _

As the newly acquired (_more like reacquired_) information sunk into my mind, panic started to overcome my senses which in return emitted signals that can be translated as follows: **I NEED TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! **

Having changed my mind on waiting for the kid's response, I decided that I'd make an escape using the **my gosh, look at the time! TACTIC**, and scurry away to regroup- err "replan"… But as soon as I was about to tell him that, I noticed something afar at the hallway… Sorry, scratch that… I noticed _someone _afar at the hallway… Guess who it is? Well here's a clue.

One, he's **CRAZY…**

Two, he's **OLD…**

Three, he's a **MAN… **

So, yeah? Know him already? No? Let's play the "connect the words" game then…

Crazy + Old + Man = **Vice Admiral GARP!**

_OH FREAKIN' FISHES! _

With no time to spare, I quickly made a decision which my body instantly followed. In just a matter of seconds, I grabbed the pirate and hid him on the room behind me, the dog in tow. Once inside, I closed the door shut. We sat there splattered on the floor by the door.

"What's that for, _nee-chan_?!" He complained to me loudly.

"Shhh! Be quiet! The doctor just went by!" I whispered back harshly through my teeth. "You want him to kick out your dog?"

"Oh. The doctor? S-sorry _nee-chan_. I really didn't know pets aren't allowed in hospitals. But don't worry. After we finish our business here, we'll be on our way after a short while." He whispered back at me. "And by the way, thank you for hiding us even you don't really know us."

"O-oh… Please, don't sweat it…" I replied awkwardly. "Guess I'll help 'ya for a little bit then. While you …" I paused for a moment then gestured him to the surprised tenants of the room. "…hide here with them." The kid seems to be surprised not only of my statement, but also because of the company he just became aware of.

Now, you might be thinking on how weird _(the word of the day?)_ my action was, but I think it's fairly reasonable. First and foremost, the venue is a hospital. Seeing that there were people other than the pirates and marines in the establishment, not to say that almost all of them should have some kind of illness or injury, maybe an all-out brawl isn't practical. Two, if this is a hospital and Garp is in here, of course he himself might not be in the condition to fight_ (would you expect__** me**__ to take his place?). _Three, I need a grasp of the situation, and here is a live source of information…

"Uhm, but kid, how much longer are you gonna stay here? Why were you roaming around the hospital alone? Don't you have someone with you?"

"Actually, I think we'll be on our way after an hour, and I do have some comrades with me. They are staying at the far end room on this hallway because it is the largest one in here. I only went out to find Stefan, because he just went missing after hiding at the room."

"Is that so?"

**But really, the fourth and most important reason to postpone their encounter is…**

"Hey kid, you don't happen to know where the doctor's room is, do you?"

"Huh? I think it's just by the main room…"

"Oh, really? Thanks!"

… **I need a disguise.**

~AFTER A MINUTE~

_Hmm… a doctor's outfit isn't so bad after all… _

After I left the kid in the weird outfit by the room, telling him off to stay hidden, I quickly went to the main room and entered the doctor's room. There, I borrowed/stole one of the doctor's white coats, a stethoscope, a pair of glasses, a fake mustache/beard _(why the hell is one in here?!)_ and voila! I'm now a doctor! It's a really terrifying thing that I kinda really looked like the old doctor of the house with just a few makeovers… Brrrrr… Anyways! This doctor is now currently sneaking off to _somewhere_…

Okay, here we go again with the plans. First, the goal: Lure the possible fight away from the civilians… _(It's a really__** hard**__ objective for someone like me, don't 'ya think?)_

And so, I came up with two things: One, it's either I move the fighters away from here or two, get the civilians somewhere safe… _(My God! They're both tedious!) _

But in order to see how on earth I'd do such things, I first need to find my pieces… At least these are the things to remember. One, Haruta and the dog are located in the first room by the left of the hallway. Two, I believe that majority of his comrades are located at the room to be seen on the far end of this hallway. And lastly, Vice Admiral Garp is… _Where the hell is that stupid Vice Admiral?! _

Even though I caught a glimpse of the vice admiral just a few minutes ago, I couldn't see him anywhere. Not in the main room. Not in the hallway. So I think he went back to his room?

Now feeling a little more determined (because of the costume), I now freely inspected each room I walked through, but still, didn't find the marine officer, until I entered a room with a sleeping old woman in it. But the old lady wasn't the center of my attention, what really caught my attention was the background. On the open window, you could see someone walking casually afar, a box of donuts in one hand and a piece of the food on the other, while his mouth was munching the bread rapidly. It was the vice admiral…

I thought that he already got sick from it so** WHY IS HE GOBBLING **_**AGAIN**_** ON THOSE DARNED DONUTS?!**

I was about to call his attention, but remembered that I've only intruded someone else's room. Not wanting to wake up the old lady _(I hope that she'll get better soon), _I settled for going out of the said room and taking a detour at the main entrance, and finally to the exit. But then again, luck run out on me at some point… _(really, I'm low on it nowadays)… _

Wanna know what happened?

Just as I opened the door and closed it carefully behind me, I heard someone call out… on me?

"There you are… Excuse me, _sensei_?"

I froze. It's a voice that I only first heard of… that gave me this _really _bad feeling… I heard footsteps… _He's behind me…_ But still, tryin' to portray the character of a good 'ol doctor, I slowly turned around to face whoever it is… **only to regret it afterwards**…

_Really, really, really! I never imagined that I'd meet__ four__ Whitebeard commander's in a row! Because this time, I am now currently facing the 16__th__ division commander, the cross-dressing Izou. Gosh! What is this, the meet-and-greet day?! _

"Sorry _sensei_, but I need you to hurry to Pops…" The pirate said hurriedly, while I, on the other hand, just fake-caressed my fake mustache/beard to make sure it wouldn't fall off.

"H-huh? What happened?" I said nervously, changing my voice a little to match that of the original, but as expected it's kinda different. He quirked a brow at this, so I made an excuse. "A-ate too much apple… So, d-did something happen?"

"Uhm, no. But we are in a hurry _sensei_. We need you to take the final check-up now and make a prescription of medicine for Pops." He said, quite worried.

"But I-" I tried to complain but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me, as he briskly walked towards the room…

"Huh? Wait! Why're you such in a hurry? You know that the patient needs rest right now." I frantically said, trying my best to convince him. "He first needs to recover his energy for a while."

"We know that _sensei_, but we cannot afford of such a thing right now." He replied. "We need to get out of here, fast."

_Huh? Why? Were they already spotted? Was there an encounter? But I thought that Garp was out munching on the darned donuts! So maybe, another person? _

The line-up of questions didn't stop, but instead more just came in rapidly as we neared the room, just like how my heart was violently pounding on my chest.

_KYYYAAAAAAA! Goals be damned! Plans be damned! Mission be damned! I just want get out of here! This is just bullshit! All of these on my day-off?! I knew that I should've just slept in! Curse you Lady Luck! Curse you!_

Then, after just a few moments _(while my brain is now overworking at some point) _we were in front of the door of **DOOM**… After a few seconds, I waited for the pirate to let go of me, but he didn't. But instead, he only held the knob of the door with his free hand as he pulled me along with him.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooo! Don't do this to me! What do I do?! What do I do now?!_

*Creak*Thud*Click*

…

…

…

_I really can't believe it. I'm inside. With the Whitebeards pirates. __**Alone.**_

Silence drew into the room. Dreadful thick silence. I was looking down on my feet because there's absolutely no way that I'd survive if I look back at the pirates' stares. It is only when Izou walked up front that I started to move. I brought my hands in my pockets. They were slightly shaking. I then took a peek forward only for an instant, then immediately looked down again. It seems that there was another room ahead, which is most probably where their captain is right now.

_Maybe I could still make a turn right now? I'll remove my disguise and go, ta-da! I'm a girl! Then I'll just apologize and say that this is a prank that some kid dared me to do so. Maybe they'll not kill me, right? I'm just a measly woman anyway! _

Thinking that it was the only idea that could save me from impending death, I looked up and was about to speak up, only for the words to go mashed up and be brought back to where it came from. Actually, it was not because of the overwhelming stares of the pirates that frightened me because unexpectedly, there were only three of us in the room at the moment. What terrified me was _who _the third person was…

_It was the Phoenix…_

_(END OF CHAPPIE 7)_


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: **_So yeah… First of all… Please, DON'T KILL ME!

Sheesh, I'm really behind my studies, projects, requirements etc… Didn't know that anime could take me (very very veeery far) away from reality… :'(

And with connection to that is my ANNOUNCEMENT: **I won't be uploading for a few weeks, but take note that it's NOT A HIATUS. **It's just that I reaaaallly need to catch up with EVERYTHING and I had to leave my laptop because I won't accomplish anything if I just see those little… cute… keys…

**UGH. **But really, I'll make it up to you as soon as I can so please, don't leave me heeeere! *sob*sob*sob* And BTW, some of you might have not noticed it yet but, I LOVE REVIEWS! So review ne? hahaha! Then…

_Chappie 8, I choose you! (currently listening to "Gotta Catch 'Em All" – Pokemon Theme… #childhoodthemesong #motivatingsong)_

_**CHAPTER 8**_

Hi. My name is Lucy, a chore girl of the marines. I'm an average girl in terms of height and uhh, boob size… I have a fair-colored skin and long black hair, which I usually tie in a messy bun, that's in the same color with my eyes. I'm 27 but I look a bit younger than that. But I think that even if I grew to be a fine-looking lady, it doesn't really attract that much attention to me. So I just wanna ask myself this question…

**Why did I have to put this stupid disguise again?**

As of this moment, I look like someone else I didn't want to look like right now. White coat that goes down to my knees is covering my petite body and uhh, boobs… Its long sleeves covering my fair skin, my long black hair tied in a low ponytail and my eyes and face concealed by mustache/beard and thick-framed glasses. Even though that I'm actually a girl, I really look like the old doctor right now. What? Oh. Please, don't say it.

**I know it's my own fucking fault! **

I thought that I'd need the disguise because I don't really want to converse with a certain vice admiral because of… personal reasons… (well, for now, let's just say that he's a crazy guy) but REALLY, I didn't know that the **pros** of my little disguise would be trampled a _hundredfold _by the **cons**… Because as of this moment, there's this lingering possibility that in any moment, I'd **DIE. **

I was walking slowly, following Izou who was leading the way to the other room where "my" patient was supposed to be in. Nervousness never ceased to intensify every passing moment of my presence in the said place. Each step rang loudly in the almost empty room which was only occupied by three beings, namely me, the Izou-guy and the **Phoenix **who was standing beside by the room ahead of us. He was leaning by the wall, his arms crossed and eyes closed. It is only when we were a few feet from the door that he opened his eyes, stood up straight and looked at Izou, then at me. I immediately looked down, then to the side. I had to stop myself from jumping at his action. _Don't fucking look here!_

"Sorry for imposing, doctor, but we're better off if Pops would take his rest on our ship." The Phoenix said to me solemnly. I, on the other hand, just fake-adjusted my glasses as I averted my eyes from him. _Looks like he doesn't recognize me then?_

"Uh, no. I-it's fine…" I replied plainly while trying to mimic the original doctor, but of course again, it sounded a bit different and as expected, he only quirked a brow at me. So I explained, again. "A-ate too much apple…" Surprisingly, like the previous encounter with Izou, he just let it go like it was nothing. _Whew… safe… but again, this is getting __**dangerously ridiculous**__… _

After that little talk, Izou proceeded to open the door… which sent signals of all kinds to my brain, that if I go in that very room… it would be the death of me… but again, not going in there would also be the death of me… I guess it's easier to just go with the flow right?

*Click*Creak*

The cross-dresser went in first while Marco waited for me to pass through before going in, himself. Since he was beside the very door, going in would close the distance between us for a sec, too close that he might recognize me. _Oh no, it's too risky! I caaaan't! It'll be __**death penalty **__once I'm found out… Uhhh… Nope! No! I won't give up! There has to be some hole to get out of this chaos! I just need to know where, when and how I'd grab the opportunity to pass that hole! That's right! Positive thoughts… Think of positive thoughts… _

_**All right, I'm on it!**_

With no other choice but to walk in _(would you expect me to do the "ta-da! I'm a girl!" stunt __**now **__that the Phoenix's in here?!) _I just turned my head to the side, faking a cough at the riskiest second, and looked away from the pirate. Fortunately, I passed through. _Okay, so far so good. Maybe I can just fake everything until they're gone? I just have to find out what the doctor would've done if he's in here… I guess that's the best option for me now…_

Now feeling a little more optimistic, I walked in confidently inside and looked up…

*Creak*Thud*Click*

…

…

…

Looking up, I saw something that I hope someday would just become "unseen" again… There, in a _huge _bed, laid the _strongest _man in the world… And what can I say? He's **terrifying**… and huge… and **terrifying**… and muscular… and **terrifying**… and old… and did I say**TERRIFYING**?!

_Bye-bye optimism! It's nice being with you for a couple of seconds! _

I was a little fortunate that I managed to get close enough to the old man before looking up to him, because that way no one would think that I already froze on the spot, because now, **I'M SO SCARED SHITLESS! **I just stood there as blood run out from my petrified body, my mind blank, my sweat cold and my face white as a **SHEET**_ (please understand that the word __sheet__ here was also used to swear. Really. I need it) _of paper. And I'm pretty sure that at some point, my heart just leapt out from my ribcage.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence in the room and the only thing that I could hear was the violent pounding of my heart against my chest. It was really ironic how intense my inner emotions were going on when each part of my body wasn't moving even by an inch. Even the slight shaking had stopped. _Maybe my brain couldn't take it any longer that it just froze all-over, huh?_

But before I could think about how on earth to restart my brain to function properly again, my attention was taken away from myself to the other three persons in the room…

"Sorry Pops, we called _sensei _so he could look at you already." I heard Izou converse with his captain. _So they call him Pops? Hm? Weird…_ "We need to get you out-" He continued but was cut-off.

"Tch… What are you so worried about, Izou? What do you take me for, a helpless, sick, old man?" The captain replied calmly… but **hell**, his voice was scaring the shit out of me! Not to say he was speaking in a little slow manner, making his speech a little more threatening and dangerously menacing… I gulped…

"No, but Pops… I've got a bad feeling about this… On the way, I noticed that by the number of marines I saw here, they weren't gathered in the island coincidentally…" This time it was the Phoenix's turn to speak as his captain was only looking back at him. They continued this pace while I, on the other hand, only stayed out of their conversation, now starting to work my "booted-up" brain 100 times the normal intensity, desperately clinging to that little itsy-bitsy hope that I'd live to see another day. In short, what remains that keeps me going is **survival instinct. **

_Okay, so the time their little conversation is over, I bet they'll ask me to check up on the huge old guy… *holding up tears*… But I can get that covered, I've got this medical thingy on my neck so I guess I'll be able to say, after some magic actions, that he's fine, then that's that! But the problem is how about the freakin' prescription! If I remember correctly, that Izou-guy said that I need to make some prescription of medicine, but how?!_

I was a little dazed at my own little world when some part of their talk got my attention…

"Just a few hours ago, I saw marines roaming the city looking for some thief, which I first thought to be normal… But then I realized that in the first place, that large number shouldn't have crowded in just one island without a solid reason…Not to say Garp is also wandering on the same island…" the Phoenix said…

_A t-thief? U-uhmm, d-don't tell m-me… b-but I made sure t-that… _

"So, what you are saying is?" The captain questioned, sitting up from his position.

"The marines are plotting something… But looking at the fact that they didn't know firsthand of our presence and our purpose, furthermore of our location, I guess we weren't their target whatever their plan is…" The pirate explained. "But still, with Garp as their leader, I can't really leave the uneasy feeling that they'd attack us anytime… Even though we could take them on, there's still a possibility they have a larger/stronger force they can use against us, wherein we can't avoid casualties… "

_Huh? _I blinked at his statement. His premise was quite plausible and with his conjecture, I could say that the man's clever… _WAAIITT! Shit! Lucy! This is no time to be praising the freakin' Phoenix! You should be worrying about your life! I repeat, YOUR __**LIFE! **_

Remembering my own dilemma, my eyes darted around the room to look for something to help me with… but there was absolutely _nothing… _And before I could make another round about in the huge room, the wicked time already came… _to play doctor… _

"Gurararara! Fine, I'll let you do as you please… I also want to get out of this wicked place already, anyway." The captain roared, then positioned himself to the side of the bed. Izou then looked at me, gesturing me to start the check-up… *Gulp* Lady Luck, I'll give _anything _to you, promise… Just please, let me live, okay?

_Act like a doctor… I'm a doctor… I'm your good 'ol doctor… _I repeated this mantra on my head as I started to walk up to my "patient". _Oh my GOSH! Relax, Lucy! Think of it like playin' doctor with the kids… _

When I was already beside him, I think that silence only thickened by each second as my anxiety just grew sevenfold. Good thing that I've got this kind of cover-up in my face lessening the feeling of exposure, plus he wasn't looking at me, coz' if he was, I'm sure that I would've fainted ages ago… But in contrary to that, I can **feel **the other two's stares at me, at what I'm doing… _How I hope that whatever I'm doing looks normal… _

_But what do doctors do first? Right, it's asking the patient of his condition…_

"So, how are you feeling?" I started, desperately changing my voice so to match the original's, but AGAIN, it sounded different. I saw the captain quirk a brow at me from which I averted my eyes from then reasoned immediately to him. "A-ate too much apple…" Then, like the previous two encounters, he let it go as if it was nothing… _Really, is that old doctor super addicted to apples? And why does each one of them just shrug when they hear that kind of reasoning? Is that supposed to be normal? Huh? Am I being left out by the world by this kind of trend?! _

"I'm fine…" was the captain's plain but low reply. It was not a satisfying answer, but what more could I say? He'd kill me if I'd push it. So fearing for my life, I just pretended to be satisfied of his response then continued with my "check-up". I brought the medical thingy and placed it over my ears, then I put the round, white end to the old man's chest. I was kind of in front of him but he was not directly looking at me, coz' I'm situated a little to the side. It'll be _dangerously _awkward if I was face-to-face with him don't you think?

Pretending to find the right spot, I moved the instrument a few times and stopped at the instant I heard a beat, then concentrated my attention there. I intended to make the act last longer just in case they'd find my actions a little weird. Though only an act, I thoroughly and really listened through it but also used this opportunity to think of my next move… Everything was going fine until I noticed something was off… It was his heartbeat…

_It was __**irregular…**_

My brows crunched a little, my eyes blinking at each irregular beat. Even if I'm not a doctor, any normal person could tell that it was abnormal. It was as if his heart was gasping for air. It was not a good condition… _**He was not fine… **_

Out of reflex, I was about to ask again about how he was feeling _(I don't know why, maybe I was disturbed by what I just heard?)_ only to be stopped by the old man himself. For a split of a second, I saw him look at me _dangerously…_ My eyes widened that instant, my voice caught up in my throat and my mind just went blank. Even if he hadn't done anything but look for a split of a second, his conviction fully went through to me, his resolve overflowing with just that slight contact… _It __commanded__ me to shut up…_

But of course, the captain's action aside, my reaction didn't escape the other pirates' eyes. "What is it, yoi?" The Phoenix asked quite worriedly. I first took off the medical equipment from the patient and from my ears, and paused for a moment. I looked at the instrument at hand as I contemplated at what just happened. Thinking that it was for the best, I made basis of my response the little encounter earlier. Without looking back at the pirate, I masked any sign of emotion and only answered back sternly. "Nothing. He's fine." I saw the Phoenix sigh in relief. _I didn't know if my action was right but given the tight situation I'm in, I guess this is for the best, right? Well, I'll just swear that this will be the last time that I'll pry with their lives so let's just forget I did something like this today, 'kay? But still, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to have a good night sleep tonight… IF ever I could get the hell outta this alive…_

Now that the heartbeat session is over and returning on thinking about savin' myself, I quickly thought of my next action, my eyes darting on several places around the room. It was when my eyes landed on the table beside the bed that I got an idea… On top of it is a folder with the hospital's mark on the front… _That's it! Why on earth I didn't see that earlier!? But who cares? I'm saved! Hahaha! I'm lucky! Uhm… Wait, I guess that's just "half-lucky!" 'coz the Phoenix just __**had **__to lean by the wall __**near **__my only fucking __hope__! Seriously, what's with him and the walls? If you won't stop it, I'd put super glue on your back so you'd become some kind of wall decoration someday! Would you get the hell away from there!_

"Will Pops be fine if he'll travel now?" I was then distracted by Izou's question. I quickly thought of a plausible response while I'm trying to get the folder without the 1st division commander noticing it. I moved little by little backwards while answering his question…

"I think it would be fine as long as his body could take it. Restraining his body too much could lead to several serious complications. Just remember that it's important for him to take ample rest and continuous medication." I answered to him.

"About that sensei, may I ask for the prescription?" He said. _There it is… the dangerous question. Tsk, maybe I shouldn't have brought up the word __medication__… _

"Alright… I'll just... write it up for you." I replied while casually backing up a little more. When I felt the table already at my back, I turned around slowly, head looking down, and hand fake-adjusting my glasses to cover my face. Knowing that the Phoenix was still near, I quickly grabbed the folder in one go then turned around again, where I saw the captain just lay back again on his bed while Izou looked at me curiously. I bet that the Phoenix behind is doing the same. So I reasoned. "I felt dizzy…" I saw Izou quirk an eyebrow, so I continued "…from eating too much apples…"

Guess what? He just shrugged… _I'm not even going to comment anymore… _

Now that their eyes were not focused on me anymore, I frantically read all the scribbles on each page, desperately pulling out any previous knowledge on medicine and get some kind of clue…

Page 1? Nothing…

Page 2? Nope…

Page 3? None…

Page 4? Uhm… there's some medicine written, maybe I could just copy them? Wait… THIS IS THE FUCKING PRESCRIPTION! IT'S ALREADY EFFIN' MADE!

**Yessss! *Hugs Lady Luck* THANK YOU! I'm saved! Now I can definitely see a brighter future ahead of me!**

Now completely feeling the confident doctor aura, I walked up to the Izou-guy then gave him the piece of paper. "Everything's already written in there. Just follow the instructions…" I said to him… He looked it up for a moment then commented quietly. "It's almost the same as the previous one. I think we could handle it."

_Then I remembered the irregular heartbeat…_

_Eh? The same as the previous one? Don't tell me that the old man's illness wasn't just this instant but was going on for a long time…? _I looked up at the old man again who was now having a conversation with Marco. From outside, no one would really suspect that this man has some kind of illness… It's kinda creepy… and worrying?

"Thank you, sensei." Izou smiled at me. I was taken aback by the gesture so I just awkwardly smiled back. For an instant, I forgot that they are pirates. How they acted throughout the day is really behind on what I was expecting… Somehow, I'm not feeling as frightened as I was minutes ago. The atmosphere became calm and comforting, just like a _family_…

I was just about to wave goodbye to Izou and leave them when a muffled sound was heard from outside… Thinking that it was familiar, I went by the window… I was surprised to see that the atmosphere outside had changed drastically, it was as if a typhoon is coming… _(guess the hospital's just sound proof, huh?) _I then opened it to clearly hear the sound… It was an alarm…

"TO THE RESIDENTS AT ALL LOW LEVEL AREAS, YOU ARE NOW TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY FROM YOUR CURRENT POSTS! PLEASE LEAVE IMMEDIATELY AND GO TO HIGH LEVEL AREAS BY THE CENTER OF THE CITY!"

_Huh? _I think that the announcement came from a speaker attached on some establishment. I then looked outside to see that the residents were running around, leaving whatever it is they were doing and followed the said instructions. It was when I heard the following statement that I understood why… My heart instantly sunk...

"THE AQUA LAGUNA IS EXPECTED TO COME AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES! I REPEAT THE AQUA LAGUNA IS EXPECTED TO COME! PLEASE EVACUATE FROM LOW LEVEL AREAS!"

"Aqua Laguna? At this time of the year?" I heard Izou comment to himself… I had to agree with him. Keeping in touch with Okiku for years, it's too early for such disaster! Tsk! I have to get out of here!

Without saying a word, I ran outside the room, all the way to the hallway. But there, I saw a different kind of disaster. Because there were no people supporting or leading them, patients were panicking all over, some of them were stumbling out of their injury, some were clinging on walls for balance, and some who can't get out of their beds were calling out for help. _Of course, I couldn't just leave them aren't I? Because I'm a good 'lil girl, a good 'ol doctor and a good responsible marine… right? UGH… Maybe I need to change this bittersweet attitude of mine… But again, let's just say that I need to do this in exchange for the life-saving event earlier… But still.. UGH… I'm too soft…_

Not wanting to waste any second, I quickly organized the group. I ran through the hallway and checked each room to announce that all abled persons are to help each and every disabled patient to get them in the main room, assuring them that I would be able to get help for immediate transport. I also called the attention of some residents outside for help when I saw some out the window. I was really fortunate that I'm on a doctor disguise and that the residents here were kind enough to lend a hand. It seems that in this kind of disasters, camaraderie still outweighed fear for own life. But still, even though that help came from the residents around, it can't be denied that the hospital contained more patients that the help we received.

_Tsk. This is tough. How on earth does the doctor face these kind of situations?! Speaking of which, where is that old goat?!_

**line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line**

"Hm? Aqua Laguna? Now, that's rare…Tsk, guess it's time to go…"

The original old doctor was resting in some shed along Dock 7 beside Vice Admiral Garp… The alarm can be heard from their spot but they were too far to be disturbed by the commotion on the other side… With the newly acquired information, the doctor planned on going but stopped for a moment… He first looked at his company to talk a bit more before leaving, again munching on some of his beloved apples. "They're about to disperse now. Are you sure you're not even gonna say hello to him? If I remember, you are the one tasked…" he paused first to take a bite, munch and gulp a piece of apple before continuing. "…to chase that strong old guy, right?"

"It's Whitebeard, you old goat! You better fix that memory of yours soon or it'll hunt you someday…" He replied annoyingly, but then calmed later on all the same. "It's just for your own entertainment anyway so I suppose it'd be safe to tell you…" The marine looked first at his company then continued after the latter nodded to him… "I know it's the perfect time to take 'em on but… Sengoku ordered not to lay a hand on 'em for a while and just monitor them…" The vice admiral stated, his face aggravated. On the other hand, his acquaintance just quirked a curious brow, but patiently waited for him to continue anyway. "If we were to initiate an attack to seriously capture them, then we would have to use a large force not only because the Whitebeard pirates themselves are strong, but also because they have strong allies. But aside from that, seeing the big picture, it'd be risky for the marines to engage in such a war now. Currently, Sengoku has his hands full, because _those guys _are starting to go on a rampage and he might need our help one of these days…"

"Those guys? " The doctor asked…

The vice admiral first stood up and turned to leave first, before ending their conversation… "The revolutionaries…"

**line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line-line**

*Pant*Pant*Pant*

_Just… a few… more rooms… _

I was running and checking up the last few rooms on the hallway. Surprisingly, all the patients in each room were seemingly evacuated to the main room completely.

_Just… one… more…_

It was the room where the family I saw early on was in…

*Creak*

I opened the last room that I had to check to see the bed… already empty. I guess it's to be expected seeing that there was an abled person in the room…

"Nee-chan? What took you so long?! I heard someth-" I heard someone from the closet… _It was the kid... with his creepy dog…_

…he stared…

…and stared…

…and stared…

…and **shouted**...

"SHIT! It's the doctor! Let's get the hell outta here!" The kid shouted before climbin' out the window._Wha- Oh yeah, I'm still on disguise!_

"WAIT!" I desperately told the surprised kid as I took the glasses and mustache/beard off. "It's me! See? Don't hide anymore! You have to get outta here!"

"N-nee-chan? What's with that?" He asked me. I tried to answer but stopped when the kid spoke again while he was looking at my back. "Marco? What's going on? People were running all over the place..."

I froze…

I _really _need to carefully think about this one... How on earth would I explain a detachable mustache/beard on hand and the kid's call of _"nee-chan!"_ to me?_ Whelp… I don't know. But one things for sure. To Lady Luck, I've got something important to tell you…_

**FUCK YOU! **

_(END OF CHAPPIE 8)_

**P.S. **_I'll be out in 1-2 weeks tops. But really, I want to write more! BTW I just wrote this last note to ask for reviews! Haha, I really want opinions on my fanfic because I'll take this seriously on my semestral break… so PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE THEM! *death wink!*_

_CURSE YOU EXAAAAAMMSSS! _


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN: **_Uhm… yeah… so…

…

…

…

I AM SO SORRY! My dear readers, I deeply apologize (as in super deep that I'd bury myself 10 feet down under) for my LATE UPDATE… *sobs*

I know that I said I'd be out for only 1-2 weeks but it seems I just couldn't make it. Don't worry, next time, I'll put up more accurate estimates…

And lastly, to my old (I really hope you're still with me…) and my new readers (Welcome!) thank you very much for spending your precious time reading my story! I greatly appreciate it guys… especially the follows and favs, and the reviews!

BTW. Don't you think that the latest arc of One Piece is just too awesome?! Just read about Cora-san, and ya'know what? I ALREADY LOVE HIM! But of course, I'm still waiting for the Whitebeard Pirates' return… I hope they'll be in for another great arc… especially Marco… hihihi

Whew… I'll do my best to write more! So reviews please! ;)

Oh, look… It's Chappie NINE! Yay! \( ^_^)/

_**CHAPTER 9**_

For obvious reasons, let's go on a little recap, shall we?

I, Lucy, a marine chore girl and uhmm.. a revolutionary (but let's just skip that or else we'd go haywire all over) is now in a middle of a "situation". But I honestly don't know how the hell that happened. What I only know is that after a series of really unfortunate and out-of-this-world events…

I am officially SCREWED.

_Well, I think that wasn't really a recap of events… I guess you'll hafta reread the chappies of my miserable life… UGH_

"Marco?" The 12th division commander in front, eyes still locked on the other pirate behind me, repeated. But he received no reply. I took this as a sign that the Phoenix's focus was on **me**, maybe after hearing the kid's "nee-chan!" and the not-so-normal de-attached beard/mustache on HAND.

_Of course he'd be on me! After all those rituals I've done to their precious captain, he'd be enraged if he'll find out that the doctor is actually just some dumb chick…. Wait, did I just insult myself? _

*Step*Step*Step*

I slightly heard Marco's stealthy steps behind as he closed the distance between us _very slowly. _And I really think this scene can be compared to a child trying to catch some bug that would fly away once it knew what was going to happen, only that in my dilemma, I already **knew **what was going to happen. And I can tell you that it's bad. _Really BAD. _

To lessen the fear/guilty/exposed feeling, whatever it is that I'm feeling in the pits of my stomach, I slowly brought my hand, which held the beard/mustache up to my face for the sake of wearing it again, hoping for the last time to get the hell away from here, make a living in isolation and live a better and peaceful life instead. But I guess, in this very situation, it was a futile attempt when all of a sudden…

…a strong hand grabbed mine from behind…

…stopping whatever actions I was planning…

...briskly turned me around…

…for another unwanted confrontation to finally begin…

"Oi, who the hell are… you?" The Phoenix started as he dumbly (yes, dumbly, 'coz he _really _didn't see it coming) stared at my stunned façade, which even if it wore thick-framed glasses, failed to mask the great indications of shock… and fear.

"G-girlie? What the hell?" He questioned again as he involuntarily let go of my hand, maybe out of shock? But really, who's the one who got the greatest shock here? Yep. It's me. I should be the one doing all the cursing, you dumbass! But on second thought, I just realized that I couldn't, because every ounce of my voice was caught up on the middle of my throat as I only responded the pirate with a _**squeak**__. What am I, a rubber ducky?_

Then, a moment of silence occurred as both parties only stared at each other…

Although it was the last resort, I didn't even dare to move. In this moment, I regarded "moving" as the most dangerous act of all. I mean, the situation's gone worse from before. Look closely. I _meddled _with their crew, acted like a _spy, knew _of their weakness and he _knows_ that I'm a fucking _marine. _Any wrong move from here on out would be equivalent to opposing him, like a mine that'll explode after a stupid gesture is done. And once I've done that stupid gesture and stepped on that very mine, the most optimistic outcome that I could think of is he'll let me off the hook… after blinding me, cutting off my tongue… along with my arms and legs… and slitting my throat…

In short, I'd be skewed meatballs by dinner time.

Keeping this in mind, I refrained myself from doing unnecessary things. I really thought that by shutting up (although this one's involuntary) and by not moving, I could at least save this puny, measly life of mine. But I realized that I was wrong… very, very, _very _wrong… I believe those actions were not enough to him as a sign of treaty, when all of a sudden…

He made a deathly _**glare **_at me…

My eyes suddenly watered, my legs strongly trembled, and sobs threatened to come out of my throat. All of the previous images of the man in front came back to me, as if I was hoping one of them would just pop out and wipe his current façade away... The nonchalant, the worried, and the serious face, even the creepy smile… I can really take them in… But not this one…

It was tearing me apart…

"M-marco? What's wrong?" The kid behind asked a little worriedly, but the Phoenix wasn't fazed by the kid's question. He was still looking directly at me, taking a dangerous step forward. I then took a frightened step back. It was all that I could manage at the moment, as most of my willpower seemed to have gone ages ago. Being captivated by his eyes and by this atmosphere, it was like I was held prey by a spider in his web. I was so terrified of what might happen because…

"Sorry to say this Girlie but, it seems I can't get a hold of your personality… So you'll hafta make all the explainin'… on our ship."

…there's absolutely no escape.

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"Sorry _nee-chan. _I think I've waited long enough." It had been a while since Chip was left alone on some area near Dock Seven in Water Seven. No other people can be seen around but the boy was feeling nervous all this time. "An alarm just went off that said we need to evacuate immediately but there's no way in hell I'd leave _nee-chan _alone. I'm going to sneak in too, get _nee-chan _and get on the center of the city… I really hope everything's okay…" Chip whispered to himself whilst travelling different narrow alleys quietly. He continued this for a while then took a stop and peeked on the edge of the alley for pirates. He relaxed when no one's to be seen, until he heard a low hoarse voice behind…

"Hey, what do you think are you doing?"

"Eh? EEEHHMMGGMM!"

"Shhh! Chip-_kun, _it's us!" A different voice entered. It was a female's. Eventually recognizing the voice, the boy paused for a moment to see who it was.

"T-tashigi _nee-chan_?!" Chip questioned after the girl let go of his mouth. When the boy turned around, he confirmed that whoever it was who crept him out wasn't an enemy. It was his captain along with the remarkable female subordinate, Tashigi. "_Nee-chan, _what are you doing out here?"

"I should be the one asking that question. What are you doing out here? Where's the chore girl?" The captain intervened, stating his question in a threatening tone. The boy then fidgeted in his reply.

"Uhmm.. well… "

**~A MINUTE OR SO LATER~**

"Wha- the Whitebeards are near the area?!" Tashigi exclaimed after hearing the chore boy who just nodded in response. "And Lucy snuck in to find Vice Admiral Garp?"

Again, the boy nodded to the female marine. "It had been a while since she left me in here and I just heard a warning to evacuate to the center of the city so I was really worried about Lucy _nee-chan _and I wanted to check on _nee-chan _ and-" The kid started to rant on the female subordinate, his anxiety apparent on his voice and expression. He only stopped when a large hand patted his head gently. It was the captain's.

"Tashigi, get the men ready…" The chore boy and the said female marine blinked on the captain's statement, then made serious facades afterwards…

"We're going in…"

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Okay… going back to my **dilemma… **

"I-I'm s-sorry but my m-mother always w-warned me about s-strangers… ya'know… " I stuttered as I tried to make the mood a little lighter but…

"Come on, Girlie. You know I don't care about that crap, yoi. "

**I failed…**

"Hey, Marco? What did _nee-chan _do, huh? Why are we taking her in?" The kid asked innocently behind me but the man didn't reply to his question, again. Instead, the Phoenix just took another dangerous step towards me once more, and I took one backwards. We continued this in a _very slow manner _until my back was already against the wall and I can see through the corner of my eye that the pirate kid and his dog was just beside me, maybe away by two feet or so, while the Phoenix in front was a little further away, by three feet or so.

"Any last words, yoi?"

I'm doomed. I am really doomed. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! Is this the end? Is this the END?!

**Wait…**

I think that this may sound ridiculous-scratch that- I **know **that this sounds ridiculous but there's nothing to lose right? It may be a fluke earlier but I got to at least try, right? I know, to some, well to many, it sounds impossible but the occurrence earlier made a 1% chance of survival, and I just had to cling on that tiny puny chance… That is…

The dog's trained, right? (Remember the shut up thing encounter with the dog? Yeah, that incident)

"W-well, I actually have one… Uh, no. I guess that's two…" I nervously replied to the Phoenix who only raised a brow at me. Surprisingly, he really waited for those two words…

_I really hope this'll work 'coz I'll really look like a total idiot if it doesn't… Okay… Here we go!_

"**DOGGY! COME!"**

Then all of a sudden, all three persons, including me, made shocked (well, on me it was terrified) expressions for the animal's action. The canine suddenly jumped from the pirate kid's grasp then into my arms, he laid. All three stared at the dog for whole three seconds, gaping at the blasted animal…

Then I did the most appropriate thing at that moment…

_**I threw him on Marco's face…**_

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"Hey, Chip-_kun, _are you sure that Lucy went here?" Tashigi asked the boy beside him. The troop just arrived at their destination, ready to lend some help in combat they were expecting but there was none. They were walking along the dock but the chore girl, the Vice Admiral, nor the pirates were nowhere to be seen. The boy, just as confused as the others, nodded to the girl's question. The group then proceeded on one establishment which was the most recognizable. It was the hospital. And upon arriving by the entrance, they were surprised by a great number of patients gathered by the large room.

"T-they're here!" One of them said loudly as the said man went closer to the marines. "Thank you very much for coming! We really need to transport all of these patients now, and we really appreciate the help!"

"H-huh? What do you mean?" Tashigi asked, startled by the man's statement.

"The doctor said that he'll call for help to transport the patients. You're going to help us, right?" The man hopefully asked. The female marine then turned to her captain for answers. The said captain thought deeply for a few seconds then…

"Tashigi, lead the men and quickly transport all the patients to the center of the city. Make sure every single one is secured. Then you'll position yourselves there."

"But Captain Smoker! How about-"

"Time is of the essence. These people need to be transported right away. I'll follow through immediately." The captain said seriously, "I'll avoid combat as much as possible until I get to the vice admiral for orders in this situation. But most importantly, I'll just go and get that troublesome chore girl of ours and get her away from here, fast! Now, go!"

"Yes, sir!" The crowd shouted in unison and followed their superior's orders. Then one man, together with his wife and baby went to the captain to inform him about something important.

"Excuse me sir but I think there were other people left inside." The man stated worriedly while the captain only waited for him to continue. "Earlier, I saw a petite girl with long black hair, along with a kid and a dog, plus the doctor of the establishment was nowhere to be seen."

The captain then nodded at his statement. _It must be the chore girl… _

"Do you know if anyone else were left in the establishment? "

"Uhh, no. We don't really know all patients or people working in this large establishment. But everybody here said that the doctor was informing each room earlier so everybody should've been informed. We just thought that the others might've escaped already. But I still worry about the people I saw earlier."

The captain, again, only nodded as a response, lit a cigarette then turned to leave the group. He went to the direction of the hallway while the rest of the group collectively went outside the establishment quickly, as to waste no time, not even a second. Expectantly, after just a little while, the surroundings already became quiet, leaving the captain alone in that area…

_The chore girl's got to be in here… __**somewhere**__… _

_Hmm? _

_Sigh…_

"Hey kid, I thought I made the order loud and clear for you all…" The captain exasperatedly said to the kid who was hiding by a nearby plant. "So why on earth are you here, chore boy?"

The kid, already knowing that he couldn't hide any longer, went out and stated, "But captain, I really want to-"

"Is that how you ask your superiors for permission?" The captain asked sternly, reaching for his jutte, swinging it in the air and finally, laying it on his shoulder, holding it in one hand, not even looking at his company.

The boy then stood straight and saluted to his captain, "Permission to proceed, sir!"

"Permission granted."

…

THUD!

"Wha-?!"Chip exclaimed after hearing some noise in the direction of the hallway. It also didn't escape the captain's ears whose face became aggravated the time his worry about the chore girl kicked in.

"Tch. Looks like something's going on. Let's go."

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"Woof! Woof!"

"Shit! Girlie! Wait!"

It was the only thing that I heard behind as I ran past the pirates as fast as I could, definitely not wanting this one chance to slip away. The sounds were muffled as I immediately closed the door shut behind me.

THUD!

I was about to scurry away to the exit until I heard running footsteps in my direction. Thinking that those footsteps belonged to enemies, I ran to the opposite direction. It was the best option at the moment. There's definitely no time to wait, stopping is not an option, any direction would do as long as I'm moving 'coz…

"You know you can't get away from me this time, Girlie…"

…my pursuer is one HELL of a kind.

I heard the Phoenix close behind me, adrenaline rushing on every veins of my body as survival instinct says that the guy is LETHALLY DANGEROUS. I only looked forward, focusing my whole being on running which was my only chance of survival, trying my best to move each muscle as quickly, swiftly and-

OH. MY. GOD.

For a second, I am sure that my heart just exploded into pieces as it pounded against my chest even stronger the time I saw who were ahead of me walking in my direction…

It was WHITEBEARD, together with Izou! Shit! Where's _my _white beard… slash mustache… WHERE IS IT!

Not feeling it in my grasp, with pirates on my tracks, I turned around (_no one could deny that even if I really hate the Phoenix, he's still a much safer being than his captain_) planning on slipping on the opposite direction… only to be grabbed by the said commander… and bumped by four other beings which I later recognized as follows:

1. A weird kid in light green outfit and white tights…

2. A dog with a mustache…

3. A Shogi-loving kid…

4. And a _really _pissed-off captain of mine…

_What on earth am I gonna do with my life?_

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"Where are the light switches again?"

The voice of the old doctor echoed in the dark empty room where he was wandering in aimlessly. His arms were searching different areas in the wall, his hands roaming each nook for the said controls.

"Tch. If I'd known that evacuation's going to be needed at this time, I could've at least polished it… Oh! Found it!" Having found what he was looking for in ages, he quickly flicked the switches to turn the lights on. He then turned to look at his objective. "I can't really believe it when that fortune-tellerish girl _donated _this to the hospital as an _extra ambulance _but… oh well! It's time to use this baby!"

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Okay… again, going back to the chaos… Ugh, I don't really know how these things… just… happen…

"O-oww! Get off of me, yoi!"

"_You _get off of me, you creepy pirate!"

"Lucy _nee-chan_?!"

"Chip?!"

"Chore girl Lucy! What on earth are- Aarrgh! Something's biting my shoe!"

"Oops! Sorry, Stefan's squirming a little bit…"

"Woof! Woof!"

Our nonsensical bickering and our desperate attempts of pushing each other continued (_I'm completely leaving this up to the reader's imagination_) until a new voice entered the commotion. It was the Izou-guy… which reminded me that we weren't alone… that we had an audience… which included the cross-dresser… and his beloved captain…

"…What's going on here?"

"…!"

Then no one moved… Well, technically, it was only Captain Smoker and Chip, who were on top of Marco… who was on top of me… who can't even move a finger… The other two, namely Haruta and the dog moved away from us and stood somewhere… watching by the sidelines… of our idiotic situation…

_Well… Shit…_

Before anyone of us could speak or move, I immediately proceeded to do the first thing which came to mind in order to break this awkward deadlock. I held on the captain's jacket firmly, holding him in place, signalling that no one was to move yet. Surprisingly, he didn't move. Looks like the man had no ideas in mind as he only followed my instructions. Really, I should take note of this thing, as the captain _actually _trusts me…

On the other hand, I gave Chip "the look"… Well, it was much easier to silently communicate with the kid than my superior as we were already used to these kinds of situations… 'ya know… _Chore Squad…_

After I let the others know of what I'd do (_though it's really impossible for the captain to understand what I meant_), I proceeded to my escape plan the old fashioned way… _Really, someday, I'd like to try being an actress and maybe there'd be a chance I'll become an icon!_

_Ooohhh, I ain't gonna forget my next act in my entire life… Blegh…_

_Inhale… Exhale…_

_Here we go…_

…

…

…

"KYAAAAAA! PERVEERRTT! GET HIM OFF OF ME! I BEEEGGG YOOUU!" I screamed on the top of my lungs as I squirmed around violently. "He's planning on doing XXXXX to me and XXXXXX, when he already made me XXXXXX and forced me to XXXXXXX on him!"

"Wha- I didn't do anythi-" The Phoenix started but was given no chance for a comeback.

"WAAAAAAHHHH! LET MY POOR _NEE-CHAN _GO, YOU FILTHY BASTARD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU XXXXX HER XXXXXX AND MADE HER XXXXXXXX YOUR XXXXXXX!" Chip followed through, now also trashing around over the said pirate. It was really some nice act if you ask me, until I saw Smoker. I don't know if he was moved by our great acting or it was _his _acting but the captain's follow up was a **full force fiery FURY. **What he did was he first shoved Chip a little to reveal his target, whom he attacked next with a fast and strong fist. But the pirate was alert enough to evade his attack, but wasn't paying ample attention to me as I immediately scurried to the captain's side, who, I think, just forgot that the strongest man in the world was just watching us meters away.

"And I was wondering why you were with the chore girl all this time. You really think you'd get away after doing such filthy things to my subordinate, huh?!" Captain Smoker threatened in a low and menacing tone, his grip on his jutte tightening in the process. _Don't freakin' tell me that he __**actually **__believed the story? _

And I believed that Chip and I were thinking the same, as the kid was also giving our captain an incredulous look. It was really interesting, believe me, and like in an experiment I honestly wanted to watch and discover each person's reactions to such event but…

_I treasure our lives more…_

Now free from the pirates' grasps and at least a few meters away from them all, I grabbed Chip and Smoker's arm and started to run on one of the rooms, not even caring about the pirates, nor my colleagues' reactions. And in just a few seconds, I went straight to the window, the two marines in tow, crashing the thick glass into pieces and jumping outside, _finally _escaping that HELL OF A PLACE!

Just as we landed outside the establishment, it was apparent that the seas were already going violently, as well as the winds and the skies, signifying that the disaster will be coming veeeerry soon. But it wasn't the first thing that we noticed because contrary to what I expected, we landed in no land, as we fell in some kind of vehicle… a really… cool… vehicle…

As if it was some kind of transport service, we were already sitting on the passenger seat of a large, shiny tank-vehicle-machine-ish thing parked outside the hospital, driven by the… old doctor…

_Uhhh…_

"Oi oi, youngsters. Have you seen my patients around the hospital? I was just about to pick 'em up with this ambulance…" He started.

_You call this an ambulance? Uhhmm…Wait… VP-004? Don't tell me-_

"Don't worry, Doctor, they were already transported by the marines earlier. They should be safe by now." Chip intervened, still concerned about running away, in the same way as I do but it seems that our superior isn't… He was still glaring at the window from which we went out from. _Can you snap out of it already?!_

The wind picked up again, the waves were getting stronger and greater in size… _Tsk. We need to get outta here, fast! _

"Doc! We should get to a higher place immediately! The wave's gonna come anytime now!" I exclaimed, panic stirring on my guts as I looked at the seas. I can _feel _it. The disaster… It's coming…

"Alright! Let's get this baby movin'!" The old doctor exclaimed, changing the gear of the vehicle and drove it fast. But I guess this vehicle wasn't designed to be used as an ambulance as it wasn't running as fast as I expect it to… With this size and weight, and complicated controls, plus the materials, I am certain that it's designed for an entirely different thing… and the doc doesn't know about it…

But at least we were moving! Getting a move on kinda calmed me for a bit, until I saw my superior tensed once more, his anger overflowing through his being… And that's when I saw him, in his hybrid form… by the roofs…

"Oi Girlie! What the hell was that for! Now I _really _need _you _to explain everything!"

_Blegghhh!_

Smoker was about to fly-off to face the Phoenix but I held his shoulder. We already wasted much time and I ain't gonna stop anytime now… not with an awful disaster on our tails…

"Chip! Pull the lever just behind the doctor's seat, and stay over there!" I shouted, positioning myself at the back part of the vehicle. "And Doc! Just continue driving at top-speed! Don't mind us!"

"Whatever you say, darlin'!" The doctor replied…

"Chore Girl Lucy, what are you doing?" Smoker, who was now calmly standing beside me, questioned… which I then simply answered…

"Just wanna give some payback... sir…"

_(END OF CHAPPIE 9)_

**AN: **Just two words… REVIEWS PLEASE!


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: **_Hello my dearest readers! Haha, I can't really believe I've made it this far! (Though I don't think the story is materializing enough for the main plot… hahaha, ugh… I need heavenly guidance…) But anyways, I'll keep at it! **I am no quitter**, 'coz that's just… ya'know… _lame…_

BTW, **THANKS FOR THE FAVS, FOLLOWS AND REVIEWS! **It really uplifts my heart that someone out there actually appreciates what my _extremely _long **daydreams** had made… (though most of 'em aren't written yet…)

Anyways, I now present to you, Chappie 10… which is a piece of my deranged imagination! ;)

Any opinions? I'll try to reply on the next chap..

_**CHAPTER 10**_

"Chip! Pull it, now!" I shouted as I continued to glare at the Phoenix on our tails.

"Girlie! Why don't you just stop and let's get this over with, yoi!" The pirate shouted as he flew by the roofs, which my superior immediately made an intensified glare at. I sighed. Well, I'd understand if it was just because he hated the pirate for who he was but, I think it was because of my freakin' act. I sighed again. I really doubt he could keep his cool until we get the hell outta here. _I'll just hafta explain later_…

Then I realized that we were travelling by the alleys in between large buildings, which I believed (and I hoped) were freakin' shortcuts. I didn't have the time to ask the doctor if he was sure of our path because suddenly, there was a sound of metal clashing with another metal. It was the vehicle changing its form. I anticipated… and waited… Weapons should come out, now that the lever was pulled. Now, you may be wondering how I knew of these things. Well, the answer is: _this _vehicle's creator is none other than…

**The Witch. **

"_Okiku, what're these?" A little girl asked as she held on large papers which seemed to be blueprints of something complicated. Since she was not yet intellectually advanced about them, she inquired, her innocent eyes speculating the grown-up lady, busy arranging her cards. _

"_Hmm? Ahh. Those are designs for powerful machines that are supposed to help fight the bad guys. But now that more and stronger designs are now created, they were left out. I plan on making them."_

"_Eehh? Then why's that? Why don't you just get the new designs? They're better, right, Okiku?" The child questioned once more, now looking up to her companion, who just stood up by her side. The little girl's height just passed by the lady's thigh as the said lady rested her hand on the child's head gently._

"_Well, these designs are kind of special to me, you know. I made it together with someone… important…" The lady stated solemnly, speculating the papers on hand._

"_Someone important? Who was it, Okiku?"_

_The lady paused then tugged the little girl's hair roughly, "Someone you haven't met yet. And I thought I said that you should at least call me 'Okiku-nee' didn't I, Lucy-chan?"_

I shook my head, clearing my mind of memories. Though I'm sure I'll be digging into them later, _now _that I knew that something was going on with Okiku staying in this Island. But for the time being, I shouldn't let anything distract me. Ironically, I was suddenly distracted by a large gun-looking thing which popped out at the end of the vehicle, complete with the scopes on. I grimaced when its handle to rotate it (as it was attached at the vehicle), as well as its scopes and stand were designed with skulls. _Gothic maniac spotted. __**Figures. **_

"What is this, chore girl?" Smoker asked, also grimacing at the odd design despite the cool appearance of the vehicle minutes ago.

"Later. For now, I'd like to use it to hit the FREAKIN' PIRATE for once." I answered quietly, yet in a furious tone. The marine then gave me a look, in which the tiniest sign of sympathy can be traced. But since we're talking about Smoker here, I bet it meant: _I know that you must do this as a revenge for the entire trauma you just experienced… Okay, I'll let you do what you want…_

At least, Smoker's… uhm… _naiveness_… had some uses. But nonetheless, the marine stayed behind me.

"Doc! Keep going no matter what, okay?" I shouted, then positioned myself by the scope, aiming it at the flying pirate following us. The moment Marco saw the weapon aimed at him, he just smirked. I bet it meant: _You know that'll not gonna work against me, Girlie…_

Ooooh, I know that right.

Knowing his ability, I immediately shifted my aim to the nearby buildings beside us. I may not hit him with bullets but at least I can block him out of our way by destroying and clouding his path. Taking advantage of the narrow alleys, plus the various turns the doctor was making, there's a high possibility that we'd lose the pirate.

"Wha-"

"Sorry, pirate… but I got an appointment to make…"

Then I went on a rampage. I fired at the nearby establishments, aiming for the ones close to the pirate with the highest possibility to block his path. But the Phoenix was persistent. He easily evaded the crumbling debris, keeping up with our speed- no. We even slowed down as we hardly evaded the pirate's counterattacks. He was using the falling debris as artillery. _Tsk._

_It's useless. _

"Chore girl, it's futile." The captain plainly said as he shoved me further in. He glared at the pirate and was about to attack but I held him.

"No! Hold it! You can't!" I exclaimed through the gushing wind, "Look over there." I briefly pointed at the seas to show him the situation. We could barely see it from where we were but we could still catch a glimpse of the wave making its way over Water Seven. It had already started. _The Aqua Laguna. _"We can't have you fight over here now. Especially for a devil fruit user, it's fatal."

"So are you saying that for _non-_devil fruit users, it's not?" He glared, this time, at me. And for a second there, he made me remember that _he _is my superior. But I guess my persistence won over.

"No. But what I am saying is if we want _everyone_ here to live, then _everyone _must keep moving forward. And the fastest way to get _everyone _moving is… through… this… vehicle?" My stern voice faded as the vehicle we were riding slowed down, and finally came to a halt. As if in a farce, all three looked at the old doctor who answered timidly…

"Uhh… Out of gas?"

_I'm gonna cry now…_

"H-he's coming!" Chip exclaimed, and true, I saw him flying towards us.

"Chore girl, go ahead. I'll hold him." Smoker said getting out of the vehicle, positioning himself in a fighting stance.

"But I-" I tried to reason but he cut me.

"This is an _order _Chore girl Lucy…" He said sternly, "I'll meet you there, now go!"

Hearing _this _tone of the captain only meant that it was FINAL. I remembered once, I _really _wanted to ride his motor bike, but he said no. But I was stubborn 'coz I really think that it was so cool. So one night, I was gonna at least test ride it, but it won't work. Thinking that something's broken, I dismantled the damn thing… only to be caught red-handed. I later knew that the freakin' vehicle only runs through his devil fruit ability.

And that's when I had the longest duty in my life… and learned of the captain's nature.

Not wanting to argue nor waste any more time (and be glared at further) I, together with Chip and the doctor, went out of the vehicle and started to run (there's really no other idea on my mind at the moment). And as expected, the old man could hardly keep up with us _youngsters_…

"Tsk. We won't make it like this! Isn't there some form of transportation?" I asked to no one in particular, as I knelt down and gestured to the doctor that I'd carry him over. When he jumped into my back, he wasn't heavy at all, but still, it wasn't helping me run faster.

"I just remembered, _nee-chan_! I think it's over here!" Chip exclaimed to me as he turned to one alley which I think where I left him earlier. _Oh right! _Chip then took a peek then happily exclaimed at me, "The Yagara bull we used earlier! It's still right here!"

My face then lit up and then I scurried over there to actually find the mode of transportation. It'll be a big help. I quickly put the old man down and gestured the two to ride the thing. _How about the captain? Tsk. _I thought as I began to untie the boat's ropes. It was then that I saw a creature, which was also tied (or stuck?) just a few feet ahead. Then I realized… _That was the "run-away" bull I just "half-paid" for earlier!_

I walked into it to see how it was doing, and as suspected, its rope got stuck on something. It then looked at me with a pleading expression. I bet it meant: _I-I'm so sorry for earlier! Please, just save me! I promise I'll take you anywhere! _

Honestly, it's kinda fun reading expressions/emotions… human or not…

"I'll let you go, but you must follow me from here on out. Okay?" I told the animal as if it could understand me, "Don't worry, I'll make sure we'll be all right…" I emphasized each tone, at first threatening yet making it reassuring at the latter part… The animal then positioned its saddle near me, as if it was gesturing me to ride it…

_Maybe I could work this one out…_

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"Tch. Where the hell is that pineapple head?" Thatch asked exasperatedly to no one in particular as he sat by the railings of their ship, the Moby Dick. The said ship was situated in an inhabited area just blocks away from where his captain was confined at. Even though the ship was huge, it wasn't obvious to passers-by as it was hovered by a pretty large cave, not to say with the thick vegetation on top and around the area. "And I really hope the captain's on the way now. I can already see the wave coming this way." He added, too busy contemplating about his _nakama _and the upcoming disaster, that he didn't notice a companion lean by the railings beside him.

"They're really taking their time leisurely, don'cha think? Zehahaha." A dark, plump man stated in a low tone beside Thatch, "The wave might catch us up soon."

Not really surprised by the new presence, Thatch only made a glimpse at the other and sighed in agreement, "Yeah, I know. But it's Pops we're talking about here, I'm sure he's on his way." He added as he jumped down and turned away from the other, "I'll just gonna position the ship by the outer skirts with the others to ready us for the impact. You keep an eye out for the captain and the others. We don't really wanna get stuck in the cave later, don't you think, _Teach_?"

The other then just nodded but he stopped on his tracks as he noticed something different from the commander, "Hm? What's that?" Teach questioned pointing at the blue bag strapped on the body of the other. The 4th division commander, remembering such an article, immediately removed it from his body, already irritated by the hindrance.

"Uh, this? It's someone else's. A marine's actually, I believe. Could you hold it for a sec, or at least get it in the cabin? I'll just fetch it later. I don't really know what's in it, but I bet it's something important..." The commander said as he handed the item to the black-haired pirate. _Well, maybe not important, it's just that it came from the weird, cute girl and all, and maybe it's important for her… Sigh, why was I intrigued by that fortune teller-ish woman again?_

"…Something important, eh?" Teach then stated curiously, more to himself than his companion. The commander then was supposed to walk away until he noticed someone going in their direction. Their captain finally came, together with Izou, Haruta and the dog, Stefan. There were also other pirates following, but Marco was nowhere to be seen. _Tch. _Curious as to what had happened, knowing about the marines and seeing the absence of Marco, Thatch then immediately went to the others, leaving Teach alone in the deck. The plump pirate stared at the blue bag which affected the pirate's interest strangely. Without anything else to do at the moment, he started to look upon the contents at will. He shoved each item aside as to check its every nook and suddenly stopped. His eyes widened as his hands twitched a little, gaping at whatever item he unexpectedly held. He was surprised when he saw something… _interesting… _But maybe, "something interesting" was an understatement...

"Something important, eh? Zehahahaha… Really important indeed…" He quietly said in a menacing tone as he held a single piece of paper which piqued his interest, his eyes never leaving the words he read over and over again…

_The whereabouts of Yami-Yami no Mi…_

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"Alright, you two. We've got no time to spare. Listen to what I have to say." Lucy seriously said as she put up an expression which transcends the line between courage and anxiety. "I've got a plan…" The two then returned the serious stares to the marine chore girl, anticipating each commanding word. "And it's…"

"**Plan D!**" Lucy exclaimed happily and made a weird pose, her Yagara bull startled by the sudden outburst.

The two then smacked the chore girl, _hard. _

"Quit beating around the bush, _nee-chan_!" Chip exclaimed, immediately followed by their old companion, "You just said that there's no time to spare! And what's with that expression, you stupid girl!"

"Oww! Sorry! Geez…" She whined, caressing her aching head, but nonetheless returned to her usual self the next moment, "Uhh… Okay. Now that we luckily have some ride, not to say _two _at this moment, we should help Captain Smoker to make it by the top."

"How do we do that?" Chip simply questioned, a little anxious of the girl's idea…

"Well, actually, **D **in **Plan D **stands for_…_" The girl replied sternly and paused, then continued, "…_decoy. _You do everything to fetch the captain then we'll split. I'll find a way to lose the-"

"But _nee-_" Chip started to protest, but this time, Lucy didn't allow it.

"Do you want to save the captain, or not!" The chore girl exclaimed, louder than intended, in the same manner that Smoker had ordered her earlier. _There better be no_ _buts_… _It's final… and ugh… _

_Did I just act as if I had PMS?_

Then there was a moment of silence, until the doctor decided to speak again… "I ain't gonna say anything about your… _plan._ I don't even understand why we ran away from the other dudes…" The doctor explained while the _chore squad _only gave him questioning looks. "Ahem... Well, anyways, what I'm saying is you do what you have to do…" Then surprisingly, it was Chip who finished the sentence, his determination reaching the others… "…and so will we. We'll get Captain Smoker, _nee-chan_!"

Lucy nodded, a small smile on her lips…

**~AFTER A FEW MINUTES OR SO~**

After a little bit of explanation about positioning and routes, I separated ways from Chip and the doctor. I tied my Yagara Bull, the one without the boat, to some nearby alley, hidden from the enemy's eyes and looked at some other side where the other Yagara Bull with the boat, which the doctor and the kid were riding, was placed. I glanced at them to make sure they are ready, waiting for my signal.

All of us are now situated in some labyrinth in the city, each side and alley connected by some waterway, perfect for losing some pursuers. Not too far from me, I saw the fierce fight unveil as it destroyed each building which the pirate and the marine officer came across. And as much to my dismay, the battle wasn't going on our favour, not that I expected otherwise. Well, I'm not saying Smoker was weak, he's my superior after all. But truth to be told, I find the pirate commander much more… How do I say this… _overwhelming_? Not to say that I've come across many files about the said pirate, and when compared to the marine officer, I can only conclude that the Phoenix is much more experienced in battles… _large battles… _

I peeked from my hiding place to see that Smoker was already kneeling down, jutte on hand, panting heavily, cuts and bruises all over his body. But the same can be said to the pirate, who was resting by the railings at some floor of an establishment, though the damage Marco had taken was much… _less_, I mean almost none. Lucky guy and his devil fruit ability…

The two stopped for a moment, perhaps to catch their breaths. No one talked, they were just glaring each other down. But as much as I'd like to let them be, magically communicating with their eyes, I'm in a hurry. So I made my move. Taking advantage of the fact that the Phoenix was a little far away, I ran as fast as I could towards Smoker who only gaped at me. And when I was close enough…

"Chore girl ! What the-"

_**I kicked him away… and to the water he fell… Oops?**_

"Now!" I shouted, and just right on the mark, the Yagara Bull burst out from its hiding place, fetching our worn out and now wet captain, and immediately moved away, while I ran back to my own Yagara Bull.

My heart cheered for the feat we just showed but it wasn't the time to celebrate. With just a few minutes on our clock before the wave and the pirate already on my back, my hands were still full… _Wait… The pirate's already on my back? _I peeked on my back while running and truly, there he was, magnificently showing his beautiful blue flames to the world while going at full speed… _towards me._

I immediately made a turn and thanked the odds that the Yagara Bull was still there, keeping its presumed promise to me. I untied its ropes and rode it in one swift move and went on my way, away from the pirate and Chip's group. I chose to go on narrow alleys but I still try to find my path to the center of the city while losing the pirate.

"Hey! Wait up, yoi!" I heard the pirate again, but it became muffled as I took a turn once again. And what can I say? The Yagara Bull's agility is really excellent that I can't believe it only lives to boringly carry people around for half the price. It should at least be used in races, or even in patrols or chasing criminals whatsoever.

After several moments of taking turns, encircling buildings, hiding under bridges and all other stuff at random, I finally lost him… while I was lost. I didn't notice that during the twist and turns, I came to that part of the city where almost all buildings were freakinly tall and the alleys were freakinly narrow that I couldn't tell anymore which way was which. Even the gushes of wind incredibly lessened as it couldn't travel freely through the thick walls of the establishments. Starting to panic, I tried a few times more, at least to find a place where I could pinpoint which way to go…

…but I believe that I just went deeper into the "cemented forest"…

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"Tch. She's too persistent for her own good, keepin' on slippin' every time… Tsk." I cursed for countless times already because after just a few moments of following Girlie, I lost her… _again._ But still, I had a good idea of where she was.

Really, I find the female marine interesting, not to say all of her acts until now were really outrageous… and irrational. Also, there were several instances hinting that she had some skill, but still remained, just as her superior called her… _a chore girl_. But the only thing that had me chasing the marine now is none other than her _motives_. I just can't believe that she roamed around us as if it was normal. And sneaky as it was, it will not be unusual if she had some underhanded objectives, especially on Pop's condition. _Tsk._

And I got to hand it to her, she really got me…

My thoughts were suddenly cut off when I saw her, pausing in the middle of crossed ways. _Heh, looks like she's lost herself, huh? _Noticing that she hadn't sensed my presence, I opted not to make myself known yet and only watched her from some roof of some building, changing back to my human form. The marine was taking her time into deciding which way to go, her face aggravated and nervous, panic apparent on her expressions.

_Sigh._

The wave was getting larger as its distance from us was greatly decreasing every second. I turned to the girl who was still cracking her brain for her next move. Looking at her, I was torn between letting her be and let the wave catch up to her, or helping her out of the situation and taking care of our business later… She hasn't really done anything yet like a crime or something, right? _Like I could say anything about that, I'm a freakin' pirate, yoi! _

_Sigh. _

I guess I could help her out at the moment.

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_Where was I?_ I mentally asked myself, together with a mental facepalm, for who knows how many fucking times already. "Ugh… Just a moment earlier, I went to the _left _first, then if it doesn't succeed, I'll try the others. But now that I'm back to square one, which way was _left _again?"

I turned for another 360 degrees again and forced myself to remember which was which, but to no avail. _Maybe I should start marking the alleys., or climbing the buildings but what if the Phoenix's out there? And I just hope the wave's still afar. *Sob* I'm gonna die. *Sob* I'm gonna die this time… *Sob* Alone… *Sob* with no friends… *Sob* without a cool ride… *Sob* without pizza…_

"Hey Girlie! You lost, yoi?"

_Wha-? _I turned my head to the source of the question which was up in some establishment, while I fought back my inexistent tears. As soon as I saw him, I let my instinct kick in and was gonna run away again as usual until he decided to speak again, staying on where he was anyways.

"You've gone there before, Girlie. Three times already, actually…" I heard him say this nonchalantly.

I paused… _Well, yeah, there were certain WALLS I've seen a lot of times already… So, he was watching? _I stopped whatever actions I was doing, faced the pirate and felt relief when he was still very far from me. He was in his human form, sitting by the roof, a nonchalant expression on his face…

"I ain't gonna go near you for a while… _Sigh… _Running and hiding every single time… You act like some teenage girl always hiding somewhere just because she can't handle seeing her crush on the first day of school, yoi…" He said tiringly. And I just _have _to blush on the comment. How on earth did he come up with the ridiculous comparison? I glared at him before I answered, "Well, what choice do I have? It was obvious that I'd die if I stayed with you a little longer, pirate! And could you stop the ridiculous analogy?"

"So are you saying that if I let you be in here, you'll survive?" He asked me, standing up from his seat, "Okay, I'll do just that. But just a note for you, I think the wave's a little _closer_ than you think, yoi… Not that you can see it anyway." He added, a _knowing _smirk plastered on his face.

_He's taunting me… He's scaring the shit out of me…_ _And it's freakin' working!_

"W-what are you getting at?" I asked nervously, fear piercing my guts open.

I saw him look at me first, his expression nonchalant once again, then spoke, "I'll help you out…" I only blinked on his statement, until he continued, "…on one condition."

_**Figures…**_

I didn't bother to reply, urging him to continue. "I'll lead you out of this maze and take you to a safe place, but after the disaster, the first person that you'll have to talk to is _me._"

"Eh? What if you-"

"We're just going to _talk_, yoi." He pressed then asked before I could protest further, "Deal?"

I sighed nervously… "Got it… It's a deal…"

_**Ugh… You've got to be kidding me…**_

_(END OF CHAPPIE 10)_

**AN: **Pardon me but I'll take this opportunity to take all strong emotions out of me now… Okay?

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WASD#^$& &#%**SCHOOL*STARTS*AGAIN!**#$^#&%&*UFIWU!

Whew, well… thanks for listening! ;) And BTW, thanks for those who reviewed last time, I **greatly appreciated **it guys! THANKS! ;)


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